A Kind Word
by Kit Thespian
Summary: Maybe he wasn't as strong as everyone thought he was. Or maybe he was stronger... MagusLucca. COMPLETE. Undergoing revision
1. Slowly, but surely

Disclaimer: I don't own the video game "Chrono Trigger," though it would be nice to… Ah well.

Author's note: I will say this once: I take a lot of license on some of the events and characters' appearances in the game, but then again, what fan fiction author doesn't?

Chapter One- Slowly, but surely...

When one repents, one usually expects forgiveness. But he didn't. So, he was amazed when she was kind to him. When she, Marle, and the Frog had found him on the cliff by the seashore just after the Fall of Zeal, none of them had anything nice to say. And who could blame them? He was an arrogant swine who cared for no one but himself. Even _she_ could not deny that for a time she had despised him.

But it was on the cliff that she began to pity him…

"_Tis thou!" Frog took hold of his sword as the man in the cape turned to face the three. Tears filled Marle's eyes as she realized that instead of Crono, it had been Magus who passed through town, looking for them. But why was he looking for them? Lucca, Marle, and Frog were actually surprised at the mage's appearance. He looked different from when he was in the castle and when he was disguised as the prophet. He was more like a human being now._

_Instead of blood crimson, Magus' eyes were emerald green. His skin was not so pale, and his ears were no longer pointed. His hair was still blue, though. At first, the three could not understand this change, but to Frog, it made no difference._

"_Thou'rt__ still alive?" Frog asked, sneering._

_Magus didn't seem to hear him, but instead looked at the sea._

"_Amazing, isn't it?" he spoke. They all thought they could detect a slight trace of brokenness in his voice, though not much. He went on, "Gone are the magical dreams of Zeal, all of its people and their hopes and ambitions… I used to live there, but I was a different person then."_

_Frog had not a clue as to what Magus could possibly mean, and neither did Marle. But Lucca's eyes widened and she gasped. Magus turned and looked at her, and she knew in an instant. Those eyes…the stern expression…_

"_It's you…" she murmured. Frog and Marle gazed at her as for a moment as though she were insane, until she continued, "you're that boy, Schala's brother…Janus."_

_Marle jerked her head and stared at the wizard,_

"_Gracious! It is him!" she exclaimed, "But how…?"_

"_The three gurus were taken by time portals, and so was I," Magus answered, with a bitter look on his face, "I do not know where the gurus were sent, but I fell into the middle ages, in the middle of a mystic meeting, where I met Ozzie…" There was subtle anger in Magus' voice when he spoke the mystic's name, but the three did not consider it at first, "After a time I came into my powers and became the mystics' leader," Lucca knew that there was more to the story, but Magus was not in the mood to tell it at this time. He continued, looking once more at the ocean, "Lavos' power is terrible, and all who stand against It perish, just like that fool Crono."_

"_You dare to speak ill of him!" Frog snapped._

_Magus bared his teeth (which also looked normal now) and growled,_

"_Play with fire and you get burned. He was a whelp. His stupidity made him think he could stand up to Lavos."_

"_Magus, hold thy tongue!" Frog drew his sword. Magus looked at the Masamune and said,_

"_You wish to fight me?" He pulled out his scythe. Frog yelled and leapt at the wizard._

_His first stroke was blocked by Magus' scythe. Magus swung his weapon and missed Frog's head by mere inches. In his rage, Frog did not notice that Magus was not fighting in the same manner as in the castle, or against Lavos. He was not using (or even attempting to use) magic, but only his brute strength. Marle wanted Frog to kill Magus so much for his insults to Crono that she did not take it into account either. But Lucca, who had borne the brunt of Magus' magic in the castle and only survived because she had been able to block most of it with her own magic, was puzzled at Magus' lack of effort._

_Now, Magus' brute strength was nothing to scoff at. There was more than one instance where if Frog had been any less of a warrior he would have had his head cut off or his heart pierced. But soon Frog dealt a swipe to Magus' legs, scrapping his left and right knees. Magus winced in pain and was not prepared for Frog's next attack. Frog jumped behind Magus and kicked him in the back of the knees, sending the wizard to the ground._

_Frog grabbed Magus' hair, pulled his head back, and held the Masamune up to Magus' neck._

"_Frog!" Lucca exclaimed, though she didn't know why. Her cry caused Frog to hesitate a moment. Magus hissed at the amphibian,_

"_What are you waiting for? Kill me and be done with it!"_

_Lucca sputtered, almost not believing what she was about to say, "Frog, please! No more blood! No more!"_

_Marle scowled at Lucca and said, _"_Lucca, are you crazy? He tried to kill us! He's a monster!"_

"_It doesn't matter now!" Lucca's face began to turn red with anger, "don't either one of you get? It's worthless! Crono's dead, and Lavos lives! And how much blood have we shed for this cause, even if we were defending ourselves? And we've changed nothing! And if you kill him now, Frog, we still haven't changed anything! Not for the better, anyway. If you must have your revenge, then get it over with! But I'll have no part of it!"_

_She turned and walked away, her arms wrapped around her, as if she were cold. Marle stood agape, her heart steadily filling with shame. She opened her mouth to address Lucca, but no words came out._

_Frog's face softened, and he thought for a moment. Then he slowly let go of Magus' hair, and spoke, _"_What she hath said is right. Killing you will neither bring back Crono nor Cyrus."_

_Magus was astonished. He looked up and Frog and said, with a sneer, _"_So that's it? You're just going to let me go?"_

"_Yes…Thou art no longer a threat." Frog grimaced and began to walk away, a little grudgingly. Marle didn't even look at the wizard as she and Frog rejoined Lucca and left the cliff. Magus stayed on his wounded knees for a few minutes before the shock of receivingmercy wore off._

_"**Why**?" He thought, "**Why didn't he just kill me? I deserve to die**…"_

_There was no chance of killing Lavos. It was too powerful. Magus had tried and failed miserably. His one goal in life, and he could not accomplish it when the time had come. He had wanted the frog to kill him, and end his pain. Why did that girl rise to his defense? That girl… Where had he seen her before? He didn't remember her._

_Sucking in his breath, Magus painfully stood up. All of his abilities, and here he was succumbing to scrapped knees.He cursed himself for not having any healing power. He knew the frog had healing magic, but he wouldn't help him, that Magus knew for sure. He would have to seek help from the village, he supposed. Some of them might recognize him as the queen's prophet, but there were no personal vendettas against him there as far as he knew._

_He took a few steps down the cliff before a sudden thought occurred to him. The boy Crono had been very powerful in his lightning gift, and was quite a formidable warrior. The loss of him broke the chances of Lavos being destroyed. Magus could not defeat Lavos by himself, but if Crono were at his side, and if they could find one more person with extremely powerful magic ability, then there could be a chance that they could battle Lavos and be successful. There was that other boy who fought in the castle with Crono, with a great ability to create fire spells. If Magus could get Crono and that other boy to fight with him, and have some healers behind them in the battle, then they could arise victorious._

_But there were two problems: Crono was dead and Magus had no idea where the other boy was._

_There was one possible solution. Magus remembered Gaspar, the guru of time, was trying to create a device to break through time itself. Where ever Gaspar had been taken to, no doubt he would have continued his work and come up with something. And the frog and his team had a capability to travel to certain periods of time at will, apparently. And if they could find the guru of time…_

_Magus blinked back tears of pain as he ran down the side of cliff to try to catch up with the others. He eventually saw them, figures in the distance, and cried out._

"_Wait!"_

That had been a week before, and now Magus was in the End of Time with the rest of bunch, trying to sleep. But right now he couldn't rest, as he remembered that moment on the cliff. He looked around at the rest of the team. Crono and Marle rested near Gaspar's feet. Rescuing Crono from that moment in time had not been easy, and Magus hardly received any gratefulness for all the things he had done to try to redeem himself, even though Lucca had persuaded Marle to heal Magus' knees. He would never admit it (the remnants of his pride not allowing him to) but he wanted to be accepted into the group. But from the way things were progressing, it seemed they would never accept him.

Crono didn't even want to acknowledge that it was Magus who had helped the others save him. Marle had not seemed to notice that it was Magus who saved her life from the Lavos spawn that had come upon the group so suddenly on Death Peak. Frog, well, Frog had a pretty good reason to hate Magus; Magus only killed his best friend. Even though Magus had now changed Frog back into his human form, and they called him Glenn, there was still Cyrus' blood on Magus' hands. Ayla didn't really know what to think of Magus, so she generally kept her distance from him. Robo was just Robo.

Then Magus' eyes turned to Lucca's sleeping form, and he remembered what was probably one of the most embarrassing moments of his life.

"_After we retrieve Crono, we must find that other boy," Magus had spoken to Lucca as he walked next to her in the future era. The others were behind them, because for some odd reason they depended on Lucca and Magus to lead the way through Death Peak. And to this day, Magus was grateful that Lucca had been the only one to hear his words._

_Lucca raised her eyebrow, "Other boy?"_

"_In my castle, when Crono and F…Glenn came to fight me, there was another boy with them. One that could use fire."_

"_A b…" Lucca's eyes flared, "That was me!"_

_Magus managed to maintain his stiff expression, though he could not help but widen his eyes a bit._

"_You? That could not have possibly been you; you're a woman."_

"_Of course, I'm a woman! And yes, it was I who attacked you with fire."_

"_But…that person had a hat."_

"_I lost it at the Ocean Palace."_

"_And spectacles."_

"_I didn't need them anymore after stepping into the recovery pool at Zeal."_

"_And short hair."_

"_I had it pulled back in a braid in my hat."_

"_Well…" Magus refused to admit defeat, though blood was rushing to his face, "You **did** look like a boy."_

_Instead of getting a good, stinging slap on the face like he expected, Magus was surprised to find that Lucca just let out a sigh and replied, _"_I guess you're right. My mother is always getting on to me about my appearance… Oh, why am I even talking to **you** about this?"_

_Magus did not answer, and they continued to walk in silence. Magus hoped that Lucca would interpret the redness on his face as a reaction to the immensely cold weather…_

She was actually quite pretty, now that Magus thought about it. With her hair down and long, not to mention the deep purple color, Magus thought that Lucca belonged in Zeal (as it had been) rather than the time she grew up in. No wonder she had tried to make herself plain; she must have stuck out like a sore thumb in Guardia.

When the team had celebrated Crono's return by camping out, only Lucca had invited Magus (who was standing alone by a tree) to join them by the fire. He had come reluctantly, and the others never failed to look at him with suspicion. He was grateful to be sitting between Lucca and Ayla, though Ayla would not cease playing with his hair.

He had leaned back a little from Ayla to try to discourage this antic, but in doing so, he only succeeded in accidentally leaning his head against Lucca's shoulder, which had raised more than one eyebrow amongst the team. By the time Magus realized his mistake, Lucca's face was already as red as a rose, and fairly soon, so was his. He left the campfire soon after that.

"You're awake too?" A voice brought Magus out of his thoughts and he turned to see that Lucca was looking up at him.

"Yes," he replied.

"Why?"

"I was thinking…"

"About what?"

A week ago, Magus would have sharply replied, _None of your business_. But since the only person in the group who had ever been genuinely nice to him was asking, he answered,

"About what has happened. The cliff…"

"I see…"

"Why are _you_ awake?"

"I had a nightmare."

Magus wanted to be "himself" and just turn away and not speak anymore, but not to Lucca. If Crono or Marle or Glenn had addressed him, he wouldn't even give him or her the time of day. When they were around and awake, Magus behaved as he always had, with his false pride and seeming dignity. But in reality, he was the most vulnerable of them all. He had hardly any real dignity left, after being defeated by Lavos and begging Frog for death. The only stateliness that remained was in his appearance and manner towards the others. Even his powers were no call to boast, though they were greater than the others'. His powers did nothing for him at the Ocean Palace.

Magus answered Lucca, "What kind of nightmare?"

"It was in your castle, actually," she said, "When you…looked different. I dreamed that you were there, but you were frozen like a statue, and Ozzie, Slash, and Flea came out of the walls. I couldn't use my powers, and they were slowly creeping towards me. Ozzie was drooling, and Flea was grinning, and Slash…"

"What?"

"He looked like he wanted to…to…"

"_Do_ things to you?"

"Yes."

Magus grimaced. If it wasn't enough that these three had tortured him inevery imaginable waywhen he was little, now they tormented this woman in her dreams. Now that Magus could travel in time with the others, maybe it was about time he settled his score with Ozzie and the rest.And perhaps the world would be better for it.

"Go to sleep," he said, "You are in no danger of those three here."

"All right…" Lucca settled her head back down, "but please try to get some sleep too."

Magus nodded, not looking at her.


	2. Past Terrors

Disclaimer: Chrono Trigger is not my possession.

Chapter Two- Past Terrors

Lucca, Crono, and Glenn had been the ones to go with Magus to Ozzie's castle (four people could fit into the Epoch). When they stepped through the doors (which Magus had to open with his magic), it sent chills up Magus' spine. It reminded him of his old 'home.' There was hardly any lighting, except for a few torches here and there with blue fire. Magus wasn't alone in his apprehension, because only a moment after they stepped in, Crono asked him,

"Could you tell me again why you wanted to come here?"

Glenn said nothing, but scanned the room warily, especially the large staircase in front of them. Lucca made it a point to stay near Magus and Crono. Magus answered,

"As I recall, you told me that my war against the humans would cause the alienation and eventual extinction of the mystics. If we settle accounts with Ozzie and his minions now, it could end the hostility."

"Why do you even care?" Crono said, with some bitterness.

Magus crossed his arms, "I'm not the sort of man who leaves unfinished the things he started. The mystics have become my responsibility and I will deal with their leaders…"

"Welcome to my beautiful house!" a merry, musical voice chimed, "Make yourselves at home!"

Magus knew the voice all too well. Ozzie's greatest gift was his ability to use his voice to penetrates a person's mind and entrap their will, and to provoke certain emotions in them. At this moment, Magus recognized the blank stares on Crono and Glenn's faces caused by Ozzie's voice, and groaned at their ineptitude. Lucca cringed and drew near to Magus. Her nightmare was still too fresh in her mind for her to fall for it. Magus was beginning to regret that he had let her come, but she had insisted on it.

But when the four of them saw the Chief Mystic standing at the top of the staircase, the spell was broken and Crono and Glenn remembered the trickery of Ozzie.

He had fooled them more than once in Magus' castle. He had used his voice to lure them into rooms where enemy warriors waited. They almost got cut in half when Ozzie encouraged them to go through the room with the dropping blades. And how many holes did they fall into in the room with trap doors?

Glenn remembered Ozzie's voice ensnaring him and Sir Cyrus into battle with Magus eleven years ago. He also recalled that Ozzie encouraged the eighteen-year-old Magus to fight as well. But he had never really thought about it that way before.

Ozzie looked at Magus and his jaw dropped, "S…Sir Magus!" he exclaimed.

"You've done well for yourself, Ozzie," Magus spoke, his voice flat.

"You're a traitor! You're not our leader! Why did you desert us?" Ozzie whined.

He was using the same voice as when he would try to manipulate Magus, the sort of voice he used when suggesting that Magus change Glenn into something more fitting those eleven years ago. The magic had a small effect on Crono, for he looked at Magus questioningly. But Magus, Lucca, and Glenn were not to be fooled.

"Coward!" Glenn growled, pulling out his sword, "Why dost thou not use thine own brute strength and do battle with us?"

Ozzie raised an eyebrow at the warrior, and said, laughing,

"'Thou?' Sir Froggy? Why, you look different! You're only but a little shorter than Magus now, and not to mention _human_! Sir Magus, why did you have to change him back? It was a lot more fun when he was a toad."

"Do not address me as a friend, Ozzie," Magus said.

Ozzie looked hurt, "But I _am_ your friend, Magus. It was _you_ who left us!"

"You are many things, Ozzie, things with names that I will not speak in front of a lady, but you were never my friend. I am here to demand that you make peace with the humans."

"Peace? With those creatures that have oppressed us?"

"You knew as well as Slash and Flea did that I am just as human as these that stand with me. I only "_became_" one of you to stop the torture. I never ceased to be a human being."

"Then…why did you say you wanted to create a world of evil? You lied to me! You used me!"

Magus did not waver, but his eyes flared and a sneer curled his lips,

"_I_ used _you_? Yes, Ozzie, I _did_ use you, but I was simply returning the favor."

"Whatever are you talking about, Sir Magus?"

"You want the truth, Ozzie? The reason why I wanted to summon Lavos was to destroy him. He is a pestilence to all that live, including you and me, and he took everything that I ever had away from me. And believe me, Ozzie, once I was finished with Lavos, you, that sword-slinger, and the transvestite were going to be next!"

Ozzie did not hesitate a moment but fled in terror, for he realized that his voice power had absolutely no effect on Magus now, and he knew that Magus was capable of snuffing out his life in a matter of a few seconds.

"Spineless fool…" Glenn muttered, sheathing his sword, "We must pursue him."

"Magus…" Crono felt foolish for almost falling for Ozzie's magic again. He looked up at the wizard, "what did Ozzie do to you that you hate him so much?"

Magus would not answer that question, "Let's go."

Ozzie's fort was by no means the threat that Magus' castle had been, probably because Magus' power was not ruling over it or protecting it. Once the others had breathed the castle's air for a while, they became accustomed to its magic, and when Ozzie tried to beckon them into traps, they would not obey his words. Besides, I think that if they had tried, Magus would have knocked them on the head to put some sense into them.

They finally reached a large room where Ozzie was awaiting them. The mystic had a triumphant grin on his face and he said,

"Well, you have made it this far, humans…"

"An achievement that took no enormous effort, I assure you," spoke Magus.

"…But your victory ends here. Slash! Flea!"

There was a brilliant flash of light and before the humans appeared two figures. One was a warrior with large yellow eyes and blue skin, and a cleaver in his hands. The other was one who had the appearance of a beautiful woman (but you know and I know that this was not the case).

"You called, Ozzie?" Flea spoke, with his squeaky, feminine voice. It made the group nauseous to say the least. When Flea and Slash saw Magus, they both recoiled in horror and Slash exclaimed,

"Magus? You're still… How dare you show your face here?!"

"Come on, guys," Ozzie spoke, drool beginning to creep from his lips, "let's finish him off. Let's finish them _all_ off."

"Over my dead body!" Crono shouted, wielding his katana.

"My dear boy," Flea laughed, "that was the idea." Flea held up his hand and a bolt of lightning flew out of it and struck Crono in the chest. If Crono had had no magic power, he would have died in an instant, but the shock sent him flying against the wall and knocked him senseless for a moment.

Lucca retaliated by throwing her second-strongest fire spell against the magician. She was not quite sure about using her strongest magic yet, and did not realize the enormity of the danger that they were all in at that moment. Apart, the three mystics would have been puppies to the humans' power, but together they were quite formidable.

Flea blocked Lucca's magic attack and threw a bolt of lightning at her. Lucca fell to the ground and thus dodged the magician's blow. Magus gathered up his shadow magic and threw a black mist towards Flea's chest and arms. Flea did not see it coming and it sent him reeling on the ground in agony.

Glenn, meanwhile, was dealing with Slash. He managed to get through the warrior mystic's defenses at one point and gave him a large gash on the face with the tip of his sword. Unfortunately, this act sent Slash into a flying rage, and when Ozzie threw a fire spell onto Slash's sword, the force of this dual attack wounded Glenn to a point that if he had not had a healing gift, he would have died in moments.

But he still needed a moment to recover from the shock of the blow, and he did not have a moment. Slash leapt at Glenn, cleaver upheld, about to deal a finishing strike, when Magus jumped in front of him and struck Slash's head with the handle of his scythe. Slash fell back, but regained his footing a moment later, though he was stunned at Magus' action.

However much shock Glenn received from the attack, it was nothing to compare with the astonishment he felt at Magus' rising to his defense. Magus turned to him and said,

"Are you healed? Get up!"

Glenn arose, looking at Magus with a new light. He was about to shout thanks when he heard Ozzie's voice cry out,

"Drop your weapons and cease your spells, or she dies!"

Glenn, Magus, and Crono (who had just now recovered from Flea's magic) saw Lucca suspended in midair, stiff as stone but with fear in her eyes. Flea had recuperated enough to be able to grab the young inventor with a spell of containment. Lucca's magic was useless while she was in this state.

If there was one thing these evil mystics knew about human men, it was their inherent tendency to be protective over human women. This seemed to be their last alternative if Magus and his companions were fighting against them.

Ozzie grinned as the three men complied with his request and dropped their weapons. Magus spoke,

"I though you were a coward before, but this… You have all stooped to your lowest level."

"Oh, boo hoo," Flea giggled, "Look! Magus is a softy over a girl! They're _all_ softy over her!"

"Perhaps it is only because we have some honor in us," Glenn spoke, anger evident in his speech.

"Well, well…" Slash circled around the place where Lucca was suspended, "she is actually not a bad-looking sort of lady. A little ill-dressed, perhaps, but it isn't like _that_ matters."

Flea cackled, "You want her?" And he took Lucca out of midair and threw her into Slash's arms. Lucca screamed and struggled, but Flea still had the part of his spell on her that kept Lucca from using any magic.

"Let her go!" Crono shouted, stepping forward. Flea turned to him and said,

"Or what?" And he outstretched his hand and Crono froze where he stood, and Glenn followed suit. But when Flea tried to use the spell on Magus, it had no effect. But it really didn't matter at this point, because if Magus tried anything, it would be instant death for his companions.

Magus' face was stone hard, but at the sight of Slash groping Lucca and biting her, he felt an emotion that he had never before experienced, and he said,

"Let her go, Slash!"

"Just what do you think you are going to do, Magus the Great?" Slash mocked as he paused in his assault.

"Nothing. Let her and the others go, and you may deal with me as you like. The three of you against myself, alone, with no weapon of warfare, and we will see what happens." Magus could hardly believe the words coming out of his own mouth, and neither could the rest of the humans. But the three mystics seemed to take these words for truth.

"Deal with you? As we like?" Ozzie spoke, smiling and pressing his fingertips together, "Like old times? In exchange for these three here?"

"Yes."

Ozzie nodded, and Flea used his magic to transport Lucca, Glenn, and Crono out of the castle. And without Magus' magic, they would not be able to get back in. In a moment, Magus was alone with the three mystics. He did not move, but simply crossed his arms as the three approached him.

But a change came over his eyes when he looked at them. Perhaps he was remembering the things they had done to him before he came into his powers. After all, he had dreamed of this moment for twenty years. But instead of his own pain, he thought of Lucca. Over and over again, in his mind, Magus relived the image of the fear in her eyes. And it filled him with mindless anger.

He stretched out his hands, and a black mist began to form in them. The three mystics paused in their "triumph" and stared at him, puzzled. The mist then began to swirl and surround Magus. He looked at Slash, who had been the one to actually touch Lucca and in the manner that he touched her. Slash would be the first to go.

Magus called this spell "Dark Matter" and he saved it for only special occasions. This was one. Without a word or sound, Magus hurled his magic at Slash. Slash had no time to dodge the blow as it hurled him against the wall. He fell to ground, a mass of bleeding and lifeless flesh, so mangled that he was beyond recognition. Magus then gripped the screaming Flea (who had been trying to escape) in a spell, and threw him against the ceiling, and then to the floor, and repeated the process until the magician's state was the same as Slash's.

Now for Ozzie. But the Chief Mystic had already retreated to the Throne Room. Magus took his scythe and followed him. Ozzie was standing in front of his throne and laughing. Magus was too angry to take this into account, and just as he approached Ozzie, Ozzie flipped a switch on the wall and the floor underneath Magus opened. Too surprised to cry out, Magus fell into the hole. But he managed to regain his senses enough so that he was able to stop himself in midair just before he landed on the floor, which was covered in razor-sharp spike.

Magus flew back up the hole, found a firm spot on the floor, and glared at the amazed Ozzie.

"Do you hear a sound, Ozzie?" Magus spoke, "It's the sound of the reaper…"

And then there was a sound. But it didn't quite sound like a reaper.

_Meow…_

Magus blinked with abashment as both he and Ozzie looked and saw a kitten walking by another switch on the wall. The kitten stopped to lick its paws, and in doing so, it sat on the switch. Ozzie cried out in absolute terror,

"No! Not that _switch_!"

The word "switch" became long and drawn out, for no sooner had Ozzie spoken than did a trapdoor beneath him open up and he fell through, screaming the whole way down. Apparently, Ozzie did not have the same capability of regaining his senses as Magus did, for a few seconds later, Magus winced at the sound of Ozzie's flesh being impaled against the spikes underneath.

The kitten, oblivious to the meaning of the sound, jumped down from the shelf by the wall and walked to Magus' legs and began to rub herself against them, purring. For some odd reason, Magus observed, cats liked him. And he had to admit that he liked cats. Though the cat was a female and the coloring was different (orange rather than pink and purple) this kitten reminded him of Alfador a little. Magus scooped her up with one hand, sheathed his scythe, and walked out of the keep, leaving the mystics' bodies to rot.

_Meanwhile, outside…_

"Oh! Is there no way to reenter this bastion?" Glenn was pounding his fists against the gates. Crono, who had been assisting him, paused in his struggling and spoke,

"Bastion?"

"It means 'castle,' Crono," Lucca said, hastily examining the hinges of the gates. She continued, her lips trembling, "I can't find a way to manipulate this gate's mechanisms."

"It's useless!" Glenn groaned, "There is not a one amongst us that can chant the spell Magus spoke over these gates."

"There must be a way," Crono said, "he…he saved our lives… Why? I thought he didn't care about _anything_." He kicked the gate in irritation and screamed, "_Open already_!"

To the amazement of the group, at that moment, the gate creaked and began to open. Magus walked out of the fort, holding a little orange kitten. Lucca gasped and smiled, until she caught herself and cleared her throat. Glenn was the first to recover from the shock,

"Magus! Thou art uninjured! What hast thou done to those villains?"

"Yeah, and what's with the cat?" Crono asked, trying not to look _too_ relieved for Magus' sake.

"They underestimated me one too many times," Magus said, "I used magic spells to…dispose of Slash and Flea. And Ozzie, well… It's rather funny, actually…"


	3. A chat with Gaspar

Kit Thespian: This is a fairly serious fic (though it has some humor at times) so to prevent you from becoming bored, I have decided to play with what is the essential formality in fan fiction: The Disclaimer! And to give the disclaimer for this chapter, we have our favorite wizard: Magus!

(Magus steps onto a stage)

Magus (grumbling): Oh… Why does it have to be _me_?

Kit Thespian: Because I said so, and _I'm_ the author. _You're _a character, and, as far as the fan fiction world is concerned, your life is putty in my hands. You are mine to toy with, and if I say so, you will either live or die.

Magus: Dying would be a lot better than this…

Kit Thespian: Then how about a nice little _slash_? And I'm not talking about that crony of yours.

Magus (gulps): Slash?

Kit Thespian: Mm-hmm, with Frog.

Magus: _Frog_!

Kit Thespian: Or better yet, FLEA!

Magus (on his knees): No, please! I can't bear the thought!

Kit Thespian: Or a triangle involving you, Crono, and…

Magus: No! You wouldn't dare!

Kit Thespian: …Ozzie.

Magus: NOOOO!

Kit Thespian: Then you'll do it?

Magus: I'll do it! I'll do it! (grovels at Kit Thespian's feet) Have mercy on me, mighty one!

Kit Thespian: Very well. Go ahead.

Magus (stands up and puts a very goofy grin on his face): The Disclaimer, everyone. Kit Thespian does not own the video game Chrono Trigger, or the characters therein. (with a sneer) Though she does seem to take delight in torturing them.

Kit Thespian: You're my favorite, Magus. I only torture my favorites.

Magus: …Somehow I'm having a difficult time taking that as a compliment.

Kit Thespian: Finish the disclaimer.

Magus: And she's not making any money off of this fic. (to Kit Thespian) There, does that satisfy you?

Kit Thespian: Oh, yes. You may go now.

(Magus exits muttering something about the void.)

Kit Thespian: Sorry about that, everyone. Back to the story!

Chapter Three- A chat with Gaspar…

"And then…he saved my life. He struck Sir Slash away as the foul mystic was about to deal me a finishing blow," Glenn was quietly explaining everything to Gaspar and Marle and the others. Magus was curled up in a far corner, resting. The moment the group had returned to the End of Time, Magus, without a word, had found his customary spot, curled up in his cape and fell straight to sleep. The casting of his spells had taken more of a toll from him then he had let on.

"He saved all of our lives," Lucca said, "He knew that he was perfectly capable of taking out those three by himself. He didn't _have_ to do what he did."

"Janus had a good heart when he was a boy," Gaspar said, "The pain of all the events around him filled him with bitterness, though, and sadness. I do not think that his heart turned to stone. Simply…to ice. And ice melts eventually when placed in warmth."

The members of the team looked at each other and Crono spoke, with a raised eyebrow, "Meaning…?"

"Perhaps it's about time that you would all take the trouble to give him a kind word," Gaspar replied, "He has done horrible things in his life, but now he wishes to repent. It would be well if you aided him along the way. It is not as if all of you are without sin."

There was an uncomfortable silence and the team dispersed to go to their separate sleeping spots. Lucca slept by the door to Spekkio's room, not very far from Magus, who slept by the door to the Epoch. After a while, when everyone was asleep, Lucca felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Lucca, wake up."

Lucca turned to find the guru of time standing over her. Her eyes widened. She had never seen Gaspar move from his spot before, and it was a little unsettling at first. What did he want?

Leaning on his cane, Gaspar slowly knelt down and sat on the ground beside Lucca. He spoke, almost in a whisper, "I have noticed something, Lucca."

"…Yes?"

"Of all the members of the team, you were the first to ever treat Janus with civility. As I recall, you were the one to plead for mercy for Janus on the cliff."

Lucca bowed her head, embarrassed but not knowing why. She knew that Gaspar could see all the things that had happened from his standing in the End of Time. He continued, "And you are the only one that Janus has seemed to warm up to. Why have you been so kind to him?"

"Well…I pity him. He is alone in the world."

"He is no longer alone, now that he has you."

"Wait, wait, wait. He does not have _me_. I mean, he doesn't _have_ me," Lucca started to blush, "He doesn't think about me in that way. He thought I was a _boy_ when he first met him in his castle."

"When he saw you again, on the cliff, when you no longer had that hat and those ridiculous glasses, he thought quite differently. He sees you as pretty. Why do you think he was so shocked to learn that it was you who had attacked him with fire after all?"

"Pretty?" Lucca tried not to cry, "I'm not pretty. I've never been pretty.And why are you…?"

"You haven't seen yourself beyond what your fellow students said about you when you were little."

"You…know about that?"

"Of course, and it wasn't true. Your burns healed after the accident, and you still refuse to notice how pretty you have become."

Tears misted Lucca's eyes. When her mother had almost been injured when Lucca was only eight years old, Lucca had tried to stop the machine by hitting the motor with a hammer. The machine stopped, but steam had blown out and burned Lucca's face and eyes. Her face had healed in a few weeks and she didn't go blind, but she had always been very nearsighted from then on. The other children Lucca's age had called her a freak because of her glasses.

When Lucca, Crono, and Marle stepped into the recovery pool in Enhasa, her eyes were healed and she no longer needed the glasses. But she still couldn't forget what the children had said to her. Now that Gaspar brought up the subject, she began to cry. She muffled her sobs with her hands, not wanting to wake the others. Gaspar patted her on the shoulder.

"There, there," he said, "let it out. You've been holding it back for so long."

Lucca cried herself to sleep after about ten minutes. Fortunately, none of the others were disturbed, not even Robo. Gaspar watched over her for a moment to make sure she was truly asleep. He shook his head; some people's issues were apparent, like Janus', and then some kept them hidden, like Lucca.He walked over to where Magus was sleeping. That orange kitten that Magus had brought from Ozzie's fort was sleeping right beside him. Gaspar shook his head and chuckled to himself at the sight. He then touched Magus' shoulder and spoke, "Janus? Janus…"

Magus opened one eye, and then closed it again.

"What do you want?" he asked, shortly.

"Simply to talk with my brightest student. Is that a crime?"

"It should be at this hour of the night."

"You were always such a sensitive sort, weren't you? I just want to help."

"Help? With what?"

"I've always prided myself on being a good-advice giver…"

"And what would I need your advice for at this time?"

"Well, from what I have seen (and I've seen a lot, mind you) you don't have much experience in matters of romance."

"In matters of _what_?" Magus' eyes became wide open.

"Romance. You know, a man and a woman…"

"I know what it _is_," Magus spoke through his teeth.

"Than why did you ask?"

"I wasn't asking what it was, Gaspar. I was asking why exactly you would wish to apply such a concept to _me_."

The guru grinned, "Because you're falling in love."

"What in the Entity's name makes you think that? Just who am I supposed to be falling in love with?"

"With her," Gaspar pointed a thumb at Lucca, "Do you deny it?"

Magus opened his mouth to fervently deny such an accusation, but the words failed him. He couldn't bring himself to say it. He looked at Lucca, who had her face resting upon her hair, and couldn't stop looking at her. He saw how red her face was, and he asked, "Has she been crying?"

"Yes," Gaspar replied,

"Why?"

"A past issue that she had to face."

Magus grimaced at the old man, "No doubt something that _you_ brought up."

"I needed to bring it up, just like I need to bring this up for you. Do you know what the word romance means exactly?"

Magus sighed, "I have a feeling you're about to tell me."

"Pursuit, Janus. Tomorrow morning, I'll see to it that you are the one that gets to wake Lucca up."

"…Wake her up?"

"What? You would've done it anyway. Take my advice, Janus, and do this."

"And after I wake her up, what do I do next?"

"Just let it take off from there."

"How do you know that she will feel the same way about me?"

"You mean, the same way you feel about her?"

"…I didn't say that."

"You implied it."

Magus' reply was a glare. Gaspar said, "What?"

"I am battling visions of taking you by the remnants of your hair and hurling you into the void. You haven't answered my question."

"What question?"

"How…do…you…know…that…she…feels…that…way?"

Gaspar leaned in and grinned, "I'm the guru of time. I just know."

"You're a fool," Magus said, lying back down on the ground and wrapping his cape about him. He muttered with disdain, "Wake her up...ridiculous notion..." The kitten had remained undisturbed the entire time. Gaspar went back to his spot below the lamppost, and went to sleep.


	4. A Secret Revealed

Kit Thespian: And now, to deliver the disclaimer: Frog!

(No one comes out)

Kit Thespian: Ahem…Frog?

Frog (from offstage): No! I shan't take part in this!

Kit Thespian: Oh, _really_? I don't suppose you remember the threats I made to Magus during the last disclaimer. I could do the same to you, and more!

Frog: But I remain a frog! I wish not to appear before a live audience as a _frog_! Do what you did in the fiction! Make me human.

Kit Thespian: But I'll need Magus for that. (bing!) What am I saying? I'm the author! I can do what I want. Oh, Magus… Magus!

(Magus appears on the stage, unaware of the audience, brushing his teeth, blow-drying his hair and wearing an "I brake for little kitties" t-shirt with smiley-face boxers.)

Magus (muffled because of the toothpaste): Whaddya want?

(Kit Thespian coughs and indicates to Magus that he is in front of everybody in this very uncouth state. He shrieks a most unmanly shriek and runs away shouting something about putting Kit Thespian out of this mortal coil. He returns a few moments later in his traditional Magus garb.)

Magus (trying to regain his dignified manner): Now, what is it that you want?

Kit Thespian: Make Frog human.

Magus (losing it): You didn't need me to come onstage for that!

Kit Thespian: I didn't ask you to come on stage in the first place. Now, do it!

(Magus growls, waves his hand and Frog changes into Glenn. Glenn laughs with joy and jumps out onstage. He is a rather impressive figure of a man, with great muscles and handsome features.)

Glenn: Kit Thespian does not own the game Chrono Trigger or the characters therein…

Fangirl from the audience: Omigosh! He's so HOT!

'Nother fangirl: GET HIM!

Glenn: EEK!!!

(All the fangirls chase Glenn out of the fic, with Glenn yelling over his shoulder that Kit Thespian is not making money off of this fic, leaving a bewildered Kit Thespian and Magus. They look at each other, shrug, and exit the stage.)

_Back to the story_:

_Author's note: As with the story of Lucca's mother, Belthasar's fate was a little different from the video game as well._

Chapter Four- A Secret Revealed

Magus woke up before everyone else in the End of Time, including Gaspar. He glanced at the guru of time once more before getting up and walking towards Lucca.

"_This is stupid_," Magus thought, "_waking her up? She'll probably want to throw a shoe at me for this. How did I ever get talked into this foolishness?_"

Magus made sure that Gaspar (and everyone else for that matter) was asleep one more time before he knelt down beside the violet-haired woman and gently shook her shoulder. The orange kitten had followed him over and was now rubbing itself against Lucca's back. Lucca stirred, but did not quite wake up. Magus considered her face for a moment, how peaceful it looked.

He spoke her name, "Lucca…Lucca, wake up." And it occurred to him at that moment that before then he had never addressed her by her name. He said it again, "Lucca."

This time she opened her eyes and looked up at him, and smiled. It wasn't a big smile, or an amused one. Just an ordinary smile, the sort that you have when you're just happy to see someone. The thought of anyone being happy to see him caused Magus to cock his head just a little and answer her with a little smile. It was the best that he could do for her at this point. She said,

"Good morning…or afternoon…what time is it anyway?"

"I don't think they have a technical time here, but it is time for everyone to wake up. As soon as Gaspar awakens we will receive our next instructions from him."

Lucca sighed, covering her face with her hands,

"Then let's not wake him or anyone else up. Not yet. I'm so tired…"

"…All right." There was a short silence before Magus started to walk away. Then he heard Lucca say,

"Wait, don't go. Talk with me for a while."

Magus said, not turning around,

"I thought you were tired."

"But I need to wake up," Lucca said, sitting up, "I'll go back to sleep if I don't do something, and there's precious little else to do here other than talk. Or do you not want to talk with me?"

"No…" Magus walked back to Lucca's side and sat down, "I wouldn't mind it."

The first person to speak after Magus sat down was Lucca, "Did you get a good night's rest?" she asked.

"Yes. You?"

"So-so."

There was a brief silence in which only the sounds of Ayla and Gaspar's snoring could be heard. Magus spoke,

"So…why did you come on this quest?"

"Because I don't want to see the future with Lavos in it. You?"

"Revenge."

"Naturally…"

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's just…Before Crono died, I had no true personal reasons for killing Lavos. My only concerns were for what I had observed in the future. But you, your entire family and lifestyle was destroyed by that thing. I heard some of the people in Zeal talk about how after your father died the Queen began to depend more and more on Lavos' power…"

"He wasn't my father…" Magus spoke.

"…I beg your pardon?"

"Queen Zeal's husband, King Gregaran, was not my father."

"Oh, that's right. One of the scholars said that you were Schala's stepbrother."

"That wasn't true either."

"What do you mean, Magus?"

Magus bit his tongue. He was about to throw his greatest secret into the air without even thinking about it. He turned his head to the others, and, after seeing that they were asleep, said,

"Queen Zeal was my mother. But my father…was not King Gregaran, Schala's father."

Lucca was shocked, but she naively asked, "Then who was your father, Magus?"

Magus closed his eyes, unsure if he were ready to reply. He knew now the answer well enough…

_The team had gone to the Keeper's Dome near Death Peak in 2300 AD, hoping to find the guru of reason, Belthasar, to help them find the place where the Chrono Trigger could be brought to full power. Magus had never dreamed that there could be such desolation in a place. It only caused his hatred of Lavos to increase._

_The light was very dim in the Keeper's Dome, and the moment they entered they could barely hear an old voice ranting things like, _

"_Impossible to go back…Never to see them again…Never to see him again…Never…"_

_Magus recognized the voice. It was Belthasar, the one who had taught him science and logic when he was still Prince Janus in the Kingdom of Zeal. Somehow he felt more relieved than the rest of the group to find out that Belthasar was still alive. Magus whispered to Lucca and Marle,_

"_You said that you got the Wings of Time from him. What did he say to you when you asked for it?"_

"_He was just finishing it. He said something about being too old to leave this place, and that he didn't even want to try to find…well…_them_ and _him_ were all he would talk about. He mumbled that they were all dead by now, no matter what. He gave us the Wings without any argument. He seemed a little loony, if you ask me."_

_The group entered a room with large computers on the wall. There was a cot in the corner of the room, with an old man lying in it. Marle said,_

"_There he is." And she started to approach the cot. Lucca grabbed her shoulder and said,  
_

"_Wait…Look at him." The group stared at the guru on the cot, who was coughing and wheezing. Lucca spoke, "He's dying."_

"_Let me talk to him, alone," Magus said, "I knew him once. He may not remember me, but yet he may."_

_The group had no objections. Seeing the grave (more grave than usual, even) look on Magus' face even silenced Glenn. The team left the room as Magus slowly walked to the bed, his footfalls echoing. Belthasar coughed one more time before jerking his head in Magus' direction._

"_Who's there?" he demanded, "You can't have the Wings. Little imps already took them."_

_Magus did not reply until he reached the cot and knelt down. His heart sank as he studied the old guru. Belthasar had been in his mid thirties when he was taken from Zeal. He had been an attractive figure of a man, though Magus had always despised the ridiculous hats that the gurus always had to wear. But now, Belthasar's face was wrinkled and sagged. He had bags underneath his eyes that looked heavy and were purple. His facial hair was long and like fine ash. _

"_Who are you?" Belthasar repeated, "Your hair…you are like one of my people."_

"_Belthasar…it's me."_

_Belthasar not only was shocked that this stranger knew his name, but at the way the stranger had spoken it. Though he was aged, his eyesight was not _so_ dimmed that he could not recognize the emerald green eyes. _

"_You…Janus? Is it Janus?"_

_Magus nodded. Belthasar gasped with delight and he placed a shaking hand behind Magus' neck and pulled him closer so he could get a better look. _

"_Janus! My boy! It _is_ you! I never thought I would see you again, though I always hoped for it."_

_Magus' last image of Belthasar had been when the time portal had opened underneath Magus and it was pulling him in. Belthasar had tried to save Janus, but a time portal opened underneath him as well, and it snatched him away as he was reaching for the Prince. _

_Belthasar went on, "I thought you had truly perished. But look at you! A grown man, and strong! Schala would be relieved…"_

"_Belthasar, I must know something."_

"_Anything, my dearest boy!"_

"_Gaspar, the guru of time, has given us the Chrono Trigger, to retrieve someone from the past."_

_Belthasar, since his sense was so far gone, replied,_

"_The old boy finished it, did he? The place where the Trigger might work would be the tallest point with the strongest magic power. The only place I can think of would be Death Peak."_

"_Death Peak?"_

"_Where Lavos reigns in this time period. But surely you do not wish to go _there_, Janus."_

"_I must, to help Crono. He is…a comrade."_

"_I see. Well…you must have a model of that person."_

"_A model?"_

"_Yes, a life-size model. It sounds silly I know, but you should have figured out from what Gaspar taught you that you simply cannot _snatch _somebody from a time period without replacing them somehow." He laughed a little and coughed before continuing, "A model is the best choice for such a task, since I doubt that you intend to put a living person in your comrade's place. But enough of that! Tell me about yourself, my boy! What have you been doing all this time? Surely you were not here. You look too healthy for that!"_

_Magus swallowed, and said, "Belthasar, let us take you from this place. We can bring you to a good land, where you can be fed and well taken care of. You don't deserve this…"_

"_Oh, shush. It is too late to be talking in that silly way, Janus. I am tired, very tired. I think I will rest fairly soon. Yes, that is what I want. Rest…"_

_He was talking about dying, obviously. Magus could hardly imagine having to live in a world like this for so long for Belthasar to age in the way he did. Or perhaps it was the trauma of such a desolation that caused the guru to age so quickly._

_Belthasar had been one of the three remaining links to Magus' old life before the Fall of Zeal, and now he was going to die. Magus was prepared to go and let the old man die in peace, but Belthasar put a feeble grip on Magus' arm and said something that caused all the blood to drain from Magus' face,_

"_Wait, my son, until I rest. Please wait."_

_Apparently, Belthasar did not realize that he said what he had. At first, Magus wanted to believe that Belthasar had only meant the words as an endearing term. But for some reason that Magus could not fathom, the concept made sense. However, Magus wanted to test the waters. He answered,_

"_Very well, Father. I will stay until you rest."_

"_That's my boy," Belthasar smiled, as if the words he and Magus had exchanged were completely normal. The truth was, in his senility, Belthasar had assumed that since Janus was all grown up, someone had naturally told him everything, so he rambled on, "I'm so glad that we can talk like this. You were so young then, of course we could not tell you the truth. It was hard, Janus, very hard. But we had to keep it a secret. But it seemed that everyone suspected. I am sorry for it, my son, for the way that everyone treated you. It was really our fault, your mother's and mine."_

_Magus drank in every word, for he knew in his heart that these sayings were not mere blather from a demented man's mind. He was numb with shock, though, and so did not resist when Belthasar took his hand and continued talking,_

"_Yes, it was our fault. I always loved her. She was very beautiful, you know. Like a misty morning, I always thought to myself. When the King died, your mother was grieved, and I did not wish her to be so. We did not think about it, if you must know, about the consequences. I wish you could have grown up without all of the suspicion and deception. But we were to blame, not you…"_

_Magus gripped Belthasar's hand, as if trying to hold onto the guru's life, just a little while longer. _

"_Janus, you are indeed my joy," Belthasar spoke, his voice growing a little weaker every moment, "I see much strength in you. Melchior was right. You did grow in power, didn't you? If you see him, tell him I said greetings. And do the same for that cheek Gaspar. Janus…I can say it now…I can say it…"_

"_What? Say what, Father?" Magus could not hide the desperation in his voice. Belthasar drew in a deep breath and spoke,_

"_I love you, son… Always, I loved you…"_

"_Father, no…please…"_

_But Belthasar's grip on Magus' hand released, and he exhaled slowly. His eyes softly shut, as if he were only falling asleep. But Magus knew better. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he solemnly folded Belthasar's hands and pulled his blanket over him. He hated to leave him this way; food for the rats. But there was a task that had to be fulfilled. Belthasar, had he realized the severity of the situation, would have wanted Janus to accomplish the goal as soon as possible._

_When Magus walked out and explained Belthasar's instructions to the team, he did a capital job of keeping his voice emotionless and hollow. No one noticed the tear trails on his face that he didn't bother to wipe off; it was too dark in the halls… _

"I confronted Gaspar while you and the rest of the group went to Crono's house to fetch the doll," Magus was finishing explaining everything to Lucca. Tears were streaming down her face and she was sniffling. He said, "And Gaspar confirmed the truth. After King Gregaran died, my mother sought comfort in Belthasar's arms, and I was born. She went away to give birth to me, and she welcomed me into her house as an adopted stepson about three months after. But apparently the people were a little wiser than that. They regarded me with derision, especially since I wasn't manifesting any magical powers. Sometimes they went so far as to blatantly call me a bastard when they thought I couldn't hear."

Lucca now remembered the disdainful attitude all of the Enlightened Ones had born towards little Janus. Even the way the scholar had said "stepbrother" had some scorn in it. Even when he was so small, he had understood that he was rejected.

"I…I'm so sorry, Janus," Lucca spoke hoarsely, not realizing she had said Magus' former name, for really all she could see at this moment when she looked at him was the little child, full of pain.

But a change came over Magus' face. It seemed as if some sort of chain was broken off of him and he looked into Lucca's eyes and said,

"Say it again, my name."

Lucca blinked, "Your name?"

"Yes."

"…Janus."

"…I have been talking about myself this entire time, but I really must thank you, Lucca."

"For what?"

Janus looked away from her and answered, "For treating me like a human being. I tried to kill you, and I have killed many people, and you have regarded me with compassion instead of contempt. You have shown your beauty…inside and out."

Lucca smiled and quietly laughed, despite her tears, "Thank you, Janus."

"…You're welcome."


	5. Slightly Awkward

(Kit Thespian is sitting at a desk, reading reviews)

Kit Thespian (maniacally): HAHAHAHA!!! I HAVE REVIEWS! REVIEWS!

(Enter Crono)

Crono: …Uh, are you okay?

(Kit Thespian throws her letters in the air in surprise)

Kit Thespian: _Whaddaya want!?_ (regains composure) Oh, Crono, it's you… Hey! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be onstage giving the Disclaimer!

Crono: Well, they want _you_ to give a response to your reviews.

Kit Thespian: …A response?

Crono: Yes.

Kit Thespian: Oh…okay. But this doesn't get you out of giving the Disclaimer, understood?

Crono (groans): Drat…

(Kit Thespian goes out to the stage and gives her responses…)

zipis1: The kitty cat incident in Ozzie's Fort was just too deliciously anti-climatic to resist. Slash is really something I would never write, unless in a parody context, and Magus is the worst one (in all of his machoism) to inflict it upon. I had hoped that the whole Magus' real father thing was original. At least one thing in this fic is! Thank you so much for reviewing! And by the way, when are you going to update "It takes two to tango"?

Imania: Heeheehee… Psycho Magus is always fun to write. Go, Magus, go!

cs: I'm glad I brightened your finals week. Thanks!

Yuffie-Girl: The whole using "I" and "you" in the narration was actually intentionally eccentric. It probably comes from reading a lot of C.S. Lewis. He used that sort of phrasing frequently, especially in The Chronicles of Narnia. I'm glad that you felt compelled to read the story in "one fell swoop." Thank you very much.

Kit Thespian: Well, now that's over and done with, you may come out now, Crono!

(Crono sheepishly enters the stage and speaks)

Crono (monotone): Kit Thespian does not own the video game Chrono Trigger (aside) _Thank heavens…_ (out loud) and she is not making any money off of this fic.

(He exits quickly before Kit Thespian can make any slash or angst threats to his person.)

_Back to the story:_

Chapter Five- Slightly Awkward

"You cannot be serious..." Magus asked with his usual stone-faced expression on his face but plenty of horror in his voice, "Such a thing is disgraceful!"

"Oh, come on," Crono rolled his eyes, "What are you afraid of?"

Not willing to answer that question (Magus because of his "dignity" and Lucca out of fear of Crono's possible reaction), the wizard and the inventor said nothing in response to Crono's question. Robo was at the End of Time. Ayla was not paying attention but watching a butterfly on the grass nearby, and wondering if it were tasty. Marle was too naive to think anything about Crono's suggestion and so she backed it up full force simply because it was his suggestion.

They were in the middle ages for the time being, because Glenn was to go up to the ruins where Cyrus was buried and set his spirit at rest. Crono was going to go with Glenn, and the rest of them were to stay in the inn in the village nearby. They had all wanted to go (except Robo, who did not care either way). The quest would take overnight, but the inn was full except for two rooms, with two beds each, so they were having a time trying to decided how to divide the rooms and who should stay with whom.

Magus had suggested that he perhaps go with Crono and Glenn to the ruins, but Glenn spoke that this was quite unacceptable. What if the spirit of Cyrus looked upon him, no matter how much Magus' appearance had changed? So Magus had to stay in the inn, with one of the girls.

It couldn't be Marle or Ayla. Both of these women nearly drove Magus insane with all of their crazy antics. So that left Lucca to stay with Magus, and Crono had thought that the idea of Marle and Ayla in one room and Magus and Lucca in the other room to be quite sensible.

Fortunately, Glenn had enough sense to speak up, and he took Crono aside and spoke so only Crono could hear,

"I really do not think that placing Magus and Miss Lucca in the same room overnight is a wise decision," he said, "Though I do not think that either one of them is naturally inclined towards illicit actions, placing a man and a woman who art not married to one another in the same room for a night alone is folly. And not only folly, but scandalous. I do not know what sort of society thou hast grown up in, Crono, but in mine culture, this is highly inappropriate."

"Glenn, think about it. Lucca has never had a boyfriend or any sort of love interests in her life. And have you noticed how Magus behaves around girls? He's a monk! There's no way that he would try anything. You stick a monk and a nun in the same room, and nothing happens. Trust me."

"How dost thou knowest this? Hast thou ever been a monk?"

"Well, no, but...It's the only thing we can do."

Glenn groaned, resigned, and went to Magus, took him aside, and whispered,

"It seemeth that there be no alternative to this situation, Magus, so I will maketh myself plain... If I find that thou hast in any way harmed the lady, I will forget our truce."

"You can be sure, Glenn," Magus said, sneering, "I will do nothing against the lady's will."

"Good." Glenn did not take the time to think about that statement, nor did he question Lucca.

The night started well. Magus, Lucca, Ayla, and Marle had dinner in the tavern attached to the inn. Magus hoped sincerely that no one would recognize him, though there was really no way for anyone to know what he looked like. Ayla (whom they had dressed up in suitable clothes since it was late autumn outside) managed to behave well, only having to be reprimanded for playing with Magus' hair once. Lucca said that it was all right for Ayla to play with her hair.

Marle said, after swallowing a bite a chicken, and trying to get above the noise of the tavern,

"I hope Crono and Glenn are okay..."

"Ayla too," Ayla said, putting Lucca's hair into different twists and knots, "Crono strong. Glenn strong. Be okay."

Magus was watching Ayla's fingers as they manuvered Lucca's hair into one more knot. He wondered how she would get it untangled later on, and he also wondered how Lucca could possibly tolerate such annoyance. He and Lucca said hardly anything during supper, but they exchanged more than one glance, all of which Marle and Ayla were oblivious to.

But when they all retreated to their rooms, Magus and Lucca were beginning to feel the full weight of the awkwardness of the situation. Once the door was shut behind them, Lucca spoke,

"Which bed is yours?"

Magus looked at the twin beds (which were placed rather close together), trying to hide his apprehension. He pointed at the right one, the one closer to the window. If an intruder came in, Magus would be the first one to face him. It was at this moment that Magus was beginning to realize that he was starting to think of Lucca more than himself. He walked to the right bed, took off his gloves, and began to undo his cloak. Then he noticed that Lucca had not moved.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing!" she laughed, albeit uneasily, "It's just...I don't know. Just being silly is all."

She went to the left bed and settled onto it, taking off her shoes. Then she felt her hair.

"Oh, no..." She tried to undo the knots but without success, "How am I ever...?"

"I thought it looked rather funny," Magus said, "You shouldn't have let her play with your hair."

"There's no harm done, Janus. It's a pain, though..." She couldn't get all the knots, but a smirk curled lips, "You look like you know something about hair maintenance. Could you give me a hand here?"

Magus hesitated a moment before going to Lucca's bed and sitting beside her. He swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. He had never touched a woman like this before or ever been this close. Schala would hug him when he was little, but a touch from a sister was different then this.

He put his hand to one of the knots in Lucca's hair and gently loosed it, brushing the tangles out with his fingers. He did the same with another lock, while Lucca worked on places that were easier for her to reach. After about ten minutes of silence, Magus and Lucca managed to worked out all of the tangles. Their fingers had touched several times, and Lucca had trembled more than once at Magus' touch.

Of course, Magus misinterpreted this and said,

"You don't need to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid, it's only..."

"...Only what?"

"I'm not used to this..."

"...I understand. I'm not used to it either."

Magus (very wisely) got up from the bed and went to his own bed and settled down into it after removing his shoes and blowing out the candles that stood on the table between the two beds. The room didn't have much lighting then. There was only a fire in the fireplace. Lucca curled up in her sheets, but after a few minutes, she started to shiver. It had begun to snow outside, and there was only a thin blanket and sheet to protect her from the cold. There were so many guests in the inn that night that the innkeeper couldn't give a good deal of fuel to each room, so the wood in the fireplace was turning to dying embers.

Magus' ears were very acute, and he could hear Lucca's shuddering breaths and teeth clattering. He was used to the cold, since Ozzie would never let him have a fire in his room growing up. He looked at her in the dim light, and thought that she would surely catch a cold if she went on like this. He had caught a cold from a freezing room once, and it was one of the most miserable things he had ever experienced.

His red cloak was hanging on his bedpost, and Magus got an idea. Without a word, he rose from his bed, took the cloak, and spread it over Lucca's bed. The thick cloak would give her a little more comfort. Her eyes popped open and she looked up at him with surprise. She smiled,

"Why, thank you."

He didn't reply, but simply looked at her. He got down on his knees and continued to tuck the cloak around her shoulders. Now, one may have gathered that Magus was not the sort of personto do something on impulse, and neither was Lucca. And really they weren't. But in matters such as these, thinking seems to be put on hold. Magus leaned over her and kissed her on the lips. It was very softly done, but a kiss all the same.

A knock came to the door. Magus jerked away from his kiss and jumped into his bed, so hastily, in fact, that one of the bed railings broke and Magus went crashing to the ground. Lucca gasped and sat up. The door opened and Ayla and Marle popped their heads in.

"Are you two all right...?" Marle asked. Then she saw Magus' legs flailing in the air from his peculiar position, upside down on the broken bed.

"Magus okay?" Ayla spoke, her eyes like saucers. Lucca's eyes were no better, considering the position that Marle and Ayla had almost caught them in. But this small calamity actually served to benefit them, for Lucca and Magus now had another excuse to act flustered. Magus finally managed to sit up, and he said flatly,

"My bed broke."

"Well, that's obvious!" Marle exclaimed, with her hands on her hips, "What are you going to do?"

Magus finally managed to get up on his feet and he said,

"I'll take the mattress off and sleep on the floor. What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to see if you were all right," Marle answered, "It was awfully quiet in here."

"It would still be quiet if you weren't here," Magus hissed.

"Janus!" Lucca scolded, "Be nice. Marle, Ayla, we'll be all right. Thank you for checking on us."

Marle was still a little put off by Magus' rude comment, but she took Lucca's thanks kindly and she and Ayla retreated back to their rooms. Amazingly, out of the two, Ayla was the first one to think that Lucca's behavior towards Magus was a little odd, and the way he treated her was different than the way he did the others, because he didn't snap at her like he did at Marle when Lucca had reprimanded him. But she had enough brains to not say anything about it to Marle.

Magus moved his mattress to the floor and once again tried to settle down. Lucca was biting her lips, trying not to laugh. The interruption and the bed breaking had put Magus in an irritated mood. But a chuckle escaped.

"Har, har, har," Magus sarcastically grumbled, "Oh, it is to laugh."

But Magus' statement only caused Lucca to burst out laughing. She tried to speak through her laughter,

"I'm sorry...It's so funny! I mean...I'm not laughing at _you_. Everything's so funny..." And she burst into another paroxysm of snickers. Magus threw off his covers and walked over to her bed and glowered down at her. Lucca's chuckling faded and she stared up at the tall wizard. She spoke, a little feebly, "I wasn't laughing at you. You have to admit that it's very amusing."

"I did not say it wasn't amusing," Magus spoke, "I was trying to recall where we were when we were so rudely interrupted."

Lucca blushed, "Janus, I don't think we should...I don't want to...Why did you kiss me?"

"Because I wanted to," he answered.

"...Janus, I think we should go to sleep now."

"...All right."

Magus went without any hesitation back to his mattress and got in. Lucca sighed with relief and finally went to sleep.

_Meanwhile..._

"Oh, isn't that romantic?" Gaspar smiled as he and Spekkio were observing the above-mentioned events from the End of Time. Robo was in sleep mode, so he didn't hear anything.

"Why are you paying attention to those two?" Spekkio asked, "Crono and Glenn's battle in the ruins with all the ghost monsters is far more interesting."

"That's only because you're the master of war. I'm telling you, Spekkio. Those two are destined to be together. It's only a little while longer."

"I hope you're not suggesting that they lay with one another unmarried," Spekkio said.

"Oh, no, even Janus knows the wrong in that. He didn't really wish to make love to Lucca in the inn. He just wanted to kiss her. That was his first kiss, and quite a nice experience for him."

"Neither Janus nor Lucca strike me as the type to go through a big marriage ceremony."

"There's more than one way to skin a cat. Marriage is the joining of two people in a lifetime committment. Marriage contract is as a wise philosopher once put it, 'Securing the treasures before you take the pleasures.'"

"...And what is that supposed to mean?" Spekkio scratched his head.

"It means you make your committment binding so that the treasures of the marriage will be secure when they come."

"When...'they'...? You mean children?"

"Why, of course."

"Children?! _Them_ with children?"

"And of course, taking the pleasures means...you know. And children would inevitably result."

"How do you know that they will have children?"

"I just do. That's why I'm the guru of time and you're the master of war."

"But _how_ will they be married?"

Gaspar grinned, "You'll see."


	6. Matchmaker, Matchmaker

Kit Thespian: To present the Disclaimer, we have...

(Marle jumps onto the stage and leaps about as if she's had too much sugar in her cereal)

Marle: Yea! It's my turn! My turn!

Kit Thespian: ...Marle. All right, Marle, do your stuff.

Marle: First of all, I want to thank Kit Thespian for allowing me this special honor...

Kit Thespian: Marle...

Marle: And I want to thank my dad...

Kit Thespian: Marle...

Marle: And my boyfriend Crono. (waves at audience. Crono stands up and blows kisses to her) This is such a wonderful occasion...!

Kit Thespian: _Marle_!

Marle: ...Yes?

Kit Thespian: This is a _Disclaimer_, not the Academy Awards!

Marle: Oh, right...Um...What am I supposed to say?

Kit Thespian: Urgh...Just tell them about how I don't own Chrono Trigger and I'm not making money. Just say that.

Marle: Oh, okay! Ahem... I don't own Chrono Trigger and I'm not making money.

Kit Thespian: No! _I_ don't own it.

Marle: Oh, I see! (to audience) Kit Thespian doesn't either.

Kit Thespian (groans): That'll do.

Chapter Six- Matchmaker, Matchmaker...

"Ayla not making joke!" Ayla put her hands on her hips, responding to an accusation made to her by Glenn that she was hoaxing, "Ayla see how Blue-hair and Lucca act! You watch! Lucca can make him do what she say!"

When Glenn and Crono returned from the ruins, Ayla had run out to greet them and give them a full explanation of the night's events. Though Ayla gave no indication that she thought anything funny had occurred between the wizard and the girl, both Crono and Glenn were absolutely shocked when she said (in her own way) that she thought that Magus and Lucca were developing feelings for each other.

The next quest they embarked on was the quest for the Rainbow Shell. Ayla, Robo, and Marle went, and the rest went and stayed with an old woman in Dorino. The old woman was actually an aunt of Toma Levine, and any friend of Toma's was a nephew or niece of hers. After showing her the bottle of pop that Toma had given them, she was assured. Now, Lucca insisted that she assist the old woman (whose name was Clarie) with her cooking and maintenance while they were staying with her.

"Oh, you're no trouble at all," Clarie had said, "this old house is far too big for me anyway. It's nice to have some young people here. Toma doesn't come by very often, you know. I don't know what he sees in exploring."

"Some people are just born to do it, I guess," Lucca said while she chopped some vegetables and Clarie lit the fire in the oven.

"Well, I haven't seen another one born to do it yet. It's fiddle-faddle, if you ask me."

Lucca chuckled, "My friends and I do a lot of exploring."

"At least you do it together. Doesn't make sense to do it alone."

Magus, Crono, and Glenn all popped their heads into the kitchen.

"When's supper going to be ready?" Crono asked.

"Now, no menfolk in the kitchen! Shoo!" exclaimed Clarie, making motions with her hands to match her words, "Shoo!"

Crono and Glenn exited rather hastily (Glenn took a bow before leaving), but Magus just stood there for a moment in the doorway, looking around as if to inspect the place. Lucca was immediately reminded of little Janus looking around the Earthbound Ones' Chief's house, saying, "What a filthy hovel." Thankfully, Magus didn't make a remark like that, but his distrustful staring seemed rude enough.

"Ahem," Clarie crossed her arms, "'menfolk' includes you too, Mr. Janus."

Magus didn't seem to acknowledge the old woman, but said to Lucca,

"You can cook?"

"Of course, I can cook. Now, really, Janus..."

"I thought all you did was build things."

"I'm a woman; I multi-task. Now, please leave the kitchen like Aunt Clarie asked you too."

Magus didn't move.

"Please?" Lucca batted her eyes twice, rather unconsciously, and Clarie took instant note of it. Unfortunately, Crono had been watching through a crack in the wood wall and he noticed it too. His jaw dropped, and it dropped even further when Magus left the room without further protest.

"Omigosh..." he whispered to Glenn, "that cavewoman was right."

"Thou meanest that Miss Lucca hath the power to control Magus through romantic inclination?" Glenn whispered back, equally surprised.

"Not really _control_. It's more like she's just keeping him in check, making sure he behaves, so to speak."

"This is a most serious development. I understandeth if Miss Lucca hath pitied him and those feelings grew. but... To think that Magus himself would... Most serious, indeed."

Crono and Glenn were too busy in their own conversation to notice what Clarie said to Lucca right after Magus left the kitchen.

"Well..." a smug grin was on the old woman's face, "flirting a little, are we?"

Lucca jerked her head at the old woman, her eyes wide as eggs,

"I...I...didn't mean..."

"That's quite all right, Lucca dear. How old are you?"

"...Just twenty."

"And how old is Mr. Janus?"

"...He's mentioned before. I think he said he was twenty-nine."

"Hmm...Well, it really doesn't matter at this age anyway. He fancies you, even if you don't see it."

"I have seen it, actually, a lot," Lucca turned red.

"Blushing? What has occurred between you?" Clarie was asking more out of curiosity than in a scolding manner.

"Nothing!" Lucca hastily spoke, before swallowing and continuing, "I mean...Nothing..._bad_. Nothing disgraceful. He...I...We...He..."

"Yes?" Clarie was smirking now.

"...He kissed me."

Crono and Glenn had just started listening again to the conversation and they had to cover their mouths to keep from screeching with horror. Magus had gone into the drawing room, so their little stakeout was kept a secret. But this new bit of information almost caused them to give away their presence. They listened harder, and they hard Clarie speak with a good deal of mischief in her voice.

"Kissed you? When?" she asked.

"Please don't tell anyone."

"I won't."

"...Last night. But it was only a little kiss. Nothing else happened."

"But _he_ kissed _you_?"

"Yes..."

"And you cooperated."

"...Yes."

Clarie kindly finished the subject by telling Lucca that she needed to discuss her feelings with Janus, and then their attention went to their cooking. Glenn turned to his companion and glowered at him.

"_'A monk and a nun'_?" he sharply whispered, "_'And nothing happens'_? I ought to wring thy neck, thou little scamp!"

"What're you mad at me for?" Crono murmured, "It wasn't like_ I _kissed Lucca."

"Thou didst place the two in that compromising situation. Thou didst have a part in it!"

"I didn't plan for them to kiss or anything like that, but you heard her! Nothing else happened between them."

Glenn fingered his sword, "I think I shall have a few words with our wizard friend."

"Now, Glenn," Crono put a hand on his friend's arm, "don't do anything foolish. We don't need a quarrel between you two in this lady's house. It'll frighten her out of her wits. And we _are_ guests in her home. Think about that."

Glenn grumbled, "Oh, all right. But mark me, Magus shall not escape mine reprimand."

"Well, really, Glenn, when you think about it, we should thank him," Crono said. Glenn threw a harsh eyebrow up and Crono explained, "They spend the night together in a room, all alone, and all Magus did was give her a little kiss. They were both willing parties in the kiss, and then nothing else happened. They both managed to restrain themselves from dishonorable activities. Now, I hate to admit it, but if Marle and I were in a situation like that... Let's just say that we lack the restraint that Magus and Lucca apparently have. Instead of a reprimand, he deserves a medal...or a pat on the back, at least."

"...When thou dost put it _that_ way..." Glenn grudgingly conceded, "I suppose thou art right. But we _must_ keep watch over them, just to make sure nothing _else_ happens."

When dinner was ready, Clarie called all the men to the dining room while she and Lucca brought in the food. They had a rectangular table that would fit eight people. Before any of the men could sit down, Clarie said, in a most musical voice,

"Now, wait a minute, I have a mind where everyone should be seated..." After the last dish was put on the table, Clarie took Crono by the shoulders and placed him on one side, by her seat at the head. Then she placed Glenn beside him. Then she said for Lucca to sit beside her on her other side, and then she walked over to Magus, and with an extra spoonful of sugar to her voice,

"Mr. Janus, you sit _here_."

A glint of dismay managed to escape from Lucca's eyes, but fortunately no one noticed it. Crono and Glenn were wondering for a moment why the old lady had been so picky. But Crono was the first to figure it out.

_"She's trying to be a matchmaker!"_ Crono screamed in his thoughts. Crono, after visiting his friend's houses and watching them on chaperoned dates (for that was the proper thing in Guardia) he knew the responsibility of matchmaking that mother figures would take upon themselves well enough.

There was a process that followed. There was one of two things that would happen first while everyone was serving themselves: an awkward silence, or idle, meaningless chit-chat. Knowing Clarie's manner, it would probably be the chit-chat, and wholely one-sided.

"I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to have guests in my home," Clarie started, "After my husband died and my son married and moved to Porre, it seems so lonely. Of course, I'm the village druggist and midwife, so I have plenty company, but no one really comes by just to talk and socialize. There's a young couple in the village who are expecting a baby right now, and she just comes and asks me all sorts of silly questions. Things like, 'Will it be all right for my husband to hold to baby right after it's born?' or 'Is it all right for me to eat gravy?' The answers to both those questions are 'yes' of course. But children are such a wonderful blessing..."

Crono knew what was coming next, the second step in the matchmaking process: the interrogation procedure. Magus didn't stand a chance. And he knew by Clarie's tone of voice and what she had been talking about what the first question would be.

"Do you like children, Mr. Janus?"

He had been cutting a piece of meat when the question was thrown at him, and he paused, with a very funny look on his face, and looked up at the old woman,

"Excuse me?" he said.

"I asked if you like children," Clarie repeated, with a large grin on her face.

Whenever this particular question was asked, one could know if the defendant really liked the girl or not by the way the defendant he would dart his eyes back and forth trying to find a diplomatic answer. Crono swallowed his bite of food after seeing Magus look at Lucca a couple of times before turning his attention back to Clarie.

"I have never thought about it before," he replied, "I haven't had a lot of experience with children."

_"Good diplomatic answer, Magus,"_ Crono thought, _"And drat, you really do like her."_

Magus had passed one of the toughest questions with flying colors, so Crono thought that the rest should be a little easier on the wizard. Wrong.

"So, Janus," Clarie spoke, "where are you from?"

But Magus cooly answered, "From nowhere, really."

"Nowhere? What do you mean?" Clarie seemed intrigued.

"I do a lot of exploring these days."

"Oh, yes, Lucca told me that all of you were explorers."

Time to switch the board. Clarie asked Lucca a question,

"All this exploring...Would you ever think of settling, Lucca dear?"

_"She lays it on thick, doesn't she?"_ thought Crono. But by the nonchalant glint in Magus' eyes, it would appear that he was still clueless. Glenn thought that all these questions were rather funny, but he was slowly catching on. Lucca, underneath her calm exterior, was positively horrified. But she managed to answer,

"I don't know if I was meant to settle, at least in the way most people think of settling."

Silence.

"How about that weather today?" Crono said, coming to the rescue.

"Snow is very lovely," Clarie said.

The interrogation procedure was over, and for that Crono (and he was sure, Lucca and Magus as well) was grateful. The dinner continued without anymore awkward moments, except for one instance when Clarie mention specifically to Magus that Lucca was an excellent cook.

_Later that night..._

Lucca put on her cloak (that she acquired after they left the other village and walked outside). There was snow all over the ground, but the clouds had cleared away to allow the moon to shine down, causing the snow to glisten like silver. The reason Lucca walked out was that she saw Magus leave the house a few minutes earlier and she wished to speak with him.

She saw him standing a little ways off, underneath some trees. He had his cloak wrapped around him up to his face as always. When he caught sight of her, however, he let his cloak drop to where she could see his face. He didn't say anything at first, but simply stared at her.

"Janus..." Lucca spoke, "I...I want to apologize, for earlier. That must have been embarrassing to you."

"You told her about us."

"Yes, I did...I didn't think it would do any harm, but...I'm very sorry." Magus didn't speak. Lucca said, "Please say something, Janus."

When he didn't respond, Lucca sighed and hung her head, and turned to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Magus suddenly asked.

"I thought you were angry with me," she answered without turning around.

"I'm not angry. I actually think it to be rather amusing. Come here...please."

Lucca slowly turned and walked towards the wizard. He held his gloved hand out. Before taking it, Lucca said,

"You forgive me?"

"Of course, I forgive you. There is nothing to forgive really. After that little interrogation, I am fairly sure that I can get through just about anything else."

"What are you saying?"

Magus once again offered his hand. Lucca took it this time and he pulled her closer until she was near enough to touch her forehead to his chin. She was not afraid of this, but leaned her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and said,

"I am not ashamed of this. I do not care what the others think about it. But what do you say on the matter?"

A tear fell down Lucca's cheek, warm against the cold, "Janus, they will try to keep us apart. I know they will."

"And if they try," Magus rubbed Lucca's hair, "they will have to deal with me. No one will take you away from me without a fight. _No one_."

Lucca smirked, "You are the only person I know who manages to sound romantic and threatening at the same time."

Magus raised an amused eyebrow, "Thank you..." After a moment, Magus put a hand underneath Lucca's chin and tilted her head up so their eyes met, "Would you be mine, Lucca, to leave everything you have to come with me when the time comes?"

"...You _are_ everything I have, Janus."

"A 'yes,' then? To be my wife?"

"Yes..."

Without further hesitiation, Magus kissed Lucca firmly on the lips, and wrapped his arms tighter around her. Then he kissed her on the face, where her tears had fallen. The blackness had washed away from his heart at last, and warmth took its place.

"Janus..." Lucca finally managed to speak, "how will we be married? How were people in Zeal married?"

"They had the words of blessing spoken over them by the Guru of Life..."

"The Guru of Life? You mean Melchior?"

"Yes."

"We can go to Melchior then."

Magus blinked, "But we don't know where he is."

"Of course, we do, silly! Oh, wait... You weren't there. Melchior was taken to my era, and lives there now. How else do you think we were able to mend the Masamune?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really!"

"Well, then, we can wait until we go back to 1000 AD."

"I'll make sure that's our next trip. It shouldn't take a good deal of convincing to make Crono want to visit his mother or to have everyone visit the fair or something like that. And while they're distracted, we can take the Epoch and go to Melchior."

"That sounds like a good plan."

After sealing their covenant with one more kiss, the two walked back towards Dorino, with their arms interlocked.

_Meanwhile, back at the End of Time..._

Gaspar was doing a happy dance while Spekkio bewilderedly looked on.

"You are a very eccentric person," he said.

"Oh, it is wonderful!" Gaspar exclaimed, totally ignoring Spekkio's comment, "I do love weddings, even small ones involving only three people! I wish I could be there!"

"Why? You get to watch it from here."

"It's different from actually being there. I wish I could bestow my blessings as well."

"I don't think the others are going to take too kindly to this."

"They don't have to find out right away. I love happy endings!"

"You're a loony."

_Author's note: I think Gaspar is the unofficial president of the LuMa fan club, what do you think?_


	7. Undying Vow

(Kit Thespian walks in)

Kit Thespian: Now, the review response...

zipis1: Hey, it ain't over until I say "The End" and THEN it'll be over. Please don't throw a chocolate muffin of doom at me!

Lone Gunmen: Gasp! (bows and kisses Lone Gunmen's feet) Thank you! Thank you so much!

MikariStar: Thank you for reading it! Here's another update...

Kit Thespian: Hey...where're my characters? One of them is supposed to give the Disclaimer and none of them are to be found!

(Dalton pops his head in)

Dalton: They're on vacation, and I'm stuck here keeping watch!

Kit Thespian: Oh...Then _you_ can give the Disclaimer!

Dalton: Me?! I don't give Disclaimers! I'm an evil lackey! Evil! EVIL!!!

Kit Thespian: You won't do the Disclaimer?

Dalton: I won't do the Disclaimer!

Kit Thespian: Then I'm sure you and Golem Boss will be a very lovely couple.

Dalton: ...I don't believe you really would do all these things, these slash threats.

(Kit Thespian grumbles and snaps her fingers. Magus and Ozzie appear.)

Ozzie: Hey, where'd the beach go?

Kit Thespian: Dalton, you force me to do something I really don't want to do. (snaps her fingers again. Magus and Ozzie look at each other with strange expressions.)

Dalton: Oh, no. Oh, _no_!

Kit Thespian: Oh, yes.

Ozzie (batting his eyes): Magus, have I ever told you how lovely your red eyes go with your cape?

Magus (coming closer): Why, no! Did I ever tell you that green is my favorite color?

Dalton (on the floor, writhing): _Stop! I beg of you, STOP!!!_

(Kit Thespian snaps her fingers and Magus and Ozzie come back to their senses)

Magus: Aagh! Get away from me!

Ozzie: _You_ get away from _me_!

Magus: What happened?

Dalton: _DON'T ASK! PLEASE, DON'T ASK!_

Magus (to Kit Thespian): What's his problem?

Kit Thespian (innocently): I can't imagine. (snaps her fingers and sends the wizard and the mystic back to their vacations) Now, Dalton, will you be a good boy and give the Disclaimer?

(Without a moment's loss, Dalton jumps up and faces the audience)

Dalton: Kit Thespian does not own the video game Chrono Trigger or the characters therein. And she is not making any money off of this fic.

(Heartily humbled, Dalton leaves the stage. Kit Thespian faces the audience)

Kit Thespian: Now, what you've all been waiting for...

Chapter Seven- Undying Vow

As it turned out, getting the Rainbow Shell seemed to make more of a mess than the party had intended, for when they returned to Guardia, Marle's father was on trial for selling the royal heirloom, the priceless Rainbow Shell. After straightening out that little problem, the group, at Lucca's suggestion, went to the Millennium Fair. Magus had been loathed to face the mystics again. But it was obvious that Yakra's descendant and its followers acted without the knowledge of the rest of the mystics.

When they spotted an imp browsing at the stands at the fair, they all realized that not only did Magus' ridding the Middle Ages of Ozzie, Slash, and Flea end the war for good, but it also ended the hostility, as Magus had hoped. People happily waved at the imp as it strolled along.

"I wonder how Medina is," Marle said.

"Yeah, maybe we should check it out," spoke Crono.

"But later..." Lucca interrupted. Crono and Marle looked at her with surprise. She finished, "Ayla and Glenn are still looking around. They'll never see anything else like this in their lives." Glenn was looking at the weaponry display, and Ayla had run to fight Lucca's robot.

"...Good point," Crono admitted, "We'll wait until tommorrow."

"Come on, Crono, let's go look at the dancing!" Marle tugged on his arm and dragged him away. Lucca shook her head, chuckling.

Magus was standing by the "Test Your Strength" bell, and when Crono and Marle left Lucca alone, she looked towards him and he nodded. The plan was that Magus would leave first, and two minutes later, Lucca would follow. No one would ask Magus why he was leaving, and if Lucca was asked, she would answer that she was going to her house to get something.

By the time Glenn noticed that either Lucca or Magus was missing, the couple were well on their way to the Mystic Island.

They went to Melchior's house and Lucca knocked on the door.

"I'm coming! I'm coming! No need to pound!" came the Guru of Time's voice from within.

"That's Melchior, all right," Magus spoke, "a little gruff, as always. He's going to think we're insane, but he'll perform the ceremony."

The door opened and there stood an old man with colorful robes. He looked down at the ground, as if expecting to see a small imp or gargoyle standing there. But he was shocked to find a lovely young woman and a very tall gentleman.

"Why, Lucca! What brings you here this fine day?" he asked, "And who is this?"

"You do not recognize your student, Melchior?" Magus said.

Melchior looked at Magus, puzzled, and then gazed at his eyes.

"You...You look familiar...You have hair like..."

"A Zealian?"

"Yes! Yes! My word! Were you taken here by a portal as well?"

"Look at my eyes, Melchior, for you once taught me that a person is what his eyes show him to be."

Melchior, puzzled by this riddle, took Magus' face in his hand and looked deeper into his eyes. Magus felt like his very soul was being searched by the Guru's piercing gaze. Melchior seemed to find what he was looking for, for he murmured,

"Your face...and your eyes...You must be...Janus?"

Magus nodded. Melchior completely forgot Lucca's presence for a moment and he embraced Magus with exceeding joy. His excitement went so far as to allow the Guru strength enough to pick Magus up off the ground a couple of inches. The man had aged, but he had lost none of his stamina. Magus' eyes nearly bugged out with the force of the hug.

"Janus! You're alive! You're alive!"

"It's good to see you too," Magus strained, trying to breathe.

"Come inside, my pupil, come inside!" Melchior grabbed Magus' arm and began to drag him through the door. Lucca followed, laughing at the old man's antics. Melchior remembered Lucca a moment later and asked how she had been faring.

Melchior hastily brewed a pot of tea and served his guests.

"Now..." he sat down, taking a cup for himself, "tell me where you have been and why you are here. And where is that kid with the weird hairdo?"

"He's at the fair," Lucca said.

"What? He didn't want to visit me?"

"He...doesn't know we're here."

Melchior blinked, "Well, why the secrecy?"

Lucca swallowed, "Melchior, we've come to ask you something very personal. Janus and I...we...we want to be married."

Melchior paused and stared at the couple for a few moments before taking a sip of tea and saying,

"This _is _unexpected. One moment I'm forging some iron swords and the next minute my Prince and a former assistant of mine come telling me that they wanted to get married, to each other. Well...I'm happy for you," he smiled, "I had always hoped that you find happiness one day, your Highness. But where have you been all this time?"

"...The Middle Ages. I came here with Lucca in the Epoch."

"The Epoch?"

"The Wings of Time...Belthasar's invention."

"Belthasar?" Melchior observed Magus for a moment, seeing the wizard's eyes avert a little. He murmured, "Belthasar..." And seeing Magus look more uncomfortable confirmed his suspicions, "So, you know the truth. I won't ask how you came by it; it's enough that you just know it. You know, you have _his_ eyes."

"I know now."

"I'm sorry," Melchior spoke to Lucca, "Did you know...?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Good. Well, you wanted to be married? Then let's get on with it. I'll get things ready. I haven't done this in a long time, a human marriage, I mean. I've done about...four mystic marriages. You'd be amazed at how many of those creatures elope. Never thought you the eloping type myself, but desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess. Uh..." Melchior just realized a slight awkwardness in what he just said. He said, "It's not _really_ desperate, is it?"

Magus didn't know what Melchior meant, but Lucca did.

"Oh, no," she declared, "nothing like that."

"Oh, good."

Magus whispered to his intended, "What is he talking about?"

"I'll tell you later," she whispered back.

The little ceremony was simply this: Magus and Lucca kneeled before Melchior, and he spread his hands over their heads, chanting an ancient blessing. Melchior, knowing that the two hadn't brought any, was gracious enough to provide two gold rings for them from his store of wares. He held them up and prayed a prayer of prosperity and fidelity over the couple, and gave them the rings to exchange. Melchior must have worked a little magic into the bands, because they fit perfectly. And he had them both repeat a vow:

"I will love you...cherish you...and look after you. You are mine..and I am yours alone. I will defend you through all things...And endure all things with you...Until death comes to me."

"You may now kiss your bride," Melchior said, grinning from ear to ear.

_A little later..._

Leaving the Epoch at Melchior's, Magus and Lucca walked to Medina, hand in hand. Magus experienced extreme culture shock by seeing the mystics skipping about in a merry fashion and shouting pleasant greetings to the couple as they passed through. Lucca pointed to the square and said,

"Before we went to your castle in 600 AD, there was a statue of you in the courtyard, and there was a whole crowd gathered there to worship it."

"Well, I think the courtyard looks better for the lack of it. I wish no one to worship me as if I were a god," Magus said.

Lucca looked at the sky, "It's getting dark. I left the others a note saying that I had business to attend to, so I hope they don't look for us."

"Glenn's probably hoping that I ended up in the mouth of a forest beast or something."

"Poor Glenn..."

"He needs to get through his bitterness or it will consume him, as it did me once."

The couple walked into Medina Inn, and were pleasantly surprised to find that this inn was the cheapest one they had ever stayed at, at a mere 10 Gil per night. While Lucca was talking with a mystic woman standing nearby, Magus leaned over to the innkeeper and whispered,

"We've just been married, so we'll need some _privacy_, if you know what I mean."

"Ohhh, I see. I make doubly sure that you are not disturbed, good Master."

"Thank you." The innkeeper gave Magus a key.

_The End of Time..._

"No! I refuse!" Spekkio stamped out the past image that he and Gaspar were watching.

Gaspar protested, "Hey! Stop that!"

"I draw the line _here_! We can watch a betrothal kiss, and we can watch a wedding, but we are not going to watch _pornography_!"

"Party pooper!"

"Dirty old man!"

"What are you two yelling about?" Crono and the rest entered the End of Time through the gate from Leene Square. Gaspar quickly made the image of Lucca and Magus entering their room disappear.

"Nothing," the Guru of Time said, "just arguing about who was the greatest warrior in history."

Though the group didn't fall for it, they decided it was probably better that they didn't know what it had really been about. But Crono asked,

"Do you know where Lucca is? Or Magus? We haven't seen either one of them since the fair. Lucca left a note at her house, but it's not like her to just run off like that, and with the Epoch."

"Since you see everything from here," Marle spoke, "we thought you might know what she had to do."

There was a silence before Spekkio said, "I'm going back to my room now. Anyone up for some practice?"

Glenn now knew something was going on. He said to Gaspar,

"What fate hast befallen them, Gaspar? Dost they live?"

"Oh, yes, they live..." Gaspar answered, leaning on his cane.

"Then tell us where they are," said Marle.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," said Gaspar.

"Why not?"

Gaspar straightened his hat before replying, "Because I just don't want to."

Crono stepped forward, "What do you mean you don't want to?"

"I just don't."

"_Anybody_ want to practice?" Spekkio tried again. But he was once again ignored (even by Ayla, who loved to practice). A fire lit in Glenn's eyes as realization came over him and he spoke, fuming,

"They art together, art they not? Thou miserable traitor!"

"Together?" Marle said, "What do mean 'together'? But they don't like each other!"

"Actually," Crono said, "they do."

"Ayla knew it!" Ayla started jumping up and down, "Ayla knew it all along!"

"You mean to tell me," Marle said, "that at this moment Magus and Lucca are in who knows what period in time, who knows _where_ in what period of time, doing who knows _what _together?!"

"Actually, it's not what you think it is," Gaspar remarked.

Everyone blinked for a moment and Crono spoke,

"Then they're not together?"

"Oh, they're together. They're also married," said Gaspar, nonchalantly.

The group stood in stunned silence before Glenn, Crono, and Marle all exclaimed, their voices raised about two octaves each,

_"Married?!"_

"Oh, wedding!" Ayla clapped her hands in jubilation, "Ayla love wedding!"

"Oh, shut up!" Crono and Marle shouted in unison. Glenn was marching towards the Guru of Time, his sword drawn.

"How darest thou go over our heads in this fashion!" he seethed. It looked like he was preparing to do some great harm to Gaspar in his rage, but Spekkio leaped in between him and the Guru and cast a Dark Bomb at the knight. Glenn flew back and hit his head on the wall, knocking him unconscious. Spekkio said, calmly,

"I need to give that man a little talking-to."

Crono and Marle were smart enough not to provoke a reaction out of Spekkio, so they rationally approached Gaspar and Crono said,

"Gaspar, what part did you play in all of this?"

"I simply let the two know that they had a slight attraction towards one another. The rest took off from there. They went to Melchior, near Medina village, and he married them. Janus' intentions are perfectly honorable, and he means to cherish Lucca for the rest of his life, and vice versa. There is no reason for any of you to behave so childishly about it, unless you are merely angry because they didn't want to tell you. You would have tried to stop it, though. You know that, and Janus and Lucca knew that. That was the reason for the secrecy. I understand why Glenn is so unhappy about it..."

"...Does he like Lucca?" Marle asked, "Surely not..."

"Oh, no. His regard for her is merely a knight's regard to a fine lady. No, the reason for his anger is because he is constantly trying to find a fault in Janus, an excuse to continue being angry with him, and he is slowly running out of excuses. Glenn is slipping into a deep hole, and he doesn't even realize it. He is slipping into the same hole that Janus himself fell into when he was a youth, filling himself with so much anger that it blinds him to all else. Spekkio and I will speak to him about it, so do not concern yourselves with it. It worries you, yes, but there is little you can do to help."

Crono and Marle could barely fathom their noble friend succumbing to this fate, but the more they thought about it, the more sense it made to them. They solemnly went to their resting places and sat in silence for a long while.

_Much later..._

Magus and Lucca parked the Epoch at the End of Time. They both felt rather embarrassed at the upcoming confrontation, but had talked it over and agreed that they would stick it out no matter what the others said to them. When they went into the main area of the End of Time, they were surprised to find that Gaspar was not there, and neither was Glenn. Crono, Marle, Ayla, and Robo were in the room, and when the couple entered, all eyes fell on them and there was an awkward silence.

"What?" Magus said, hoping to end the stares.

"Nothing..." Crono said. Marle shrugged. Ayla, however, jumped up and ran to the couple. She kissed Lucca and Magus on the cheeks and exclaimed,

"Ayla happy for Blue-hair and Lucca! Gaspar tell us about wedding."

"Did he?" Magus raised an eyebrow.

"How did he know?" Lucca asked.

Magus shrugged, "He's the Guru of Time; he just does."

A moment after, Gaspar emerged from Spekkio's room with Glenn at his side. The knight looked extremely dejected, with tear trails on his face. He went and sat down near the refreshment bucket, not saying a word and obviously not wishing to be disturbed. Everyone thought it best to not ask what had occurred. It would probably come out eventually.


	8. The Battle

(Enter Kit Thespian)

Kit Thespian: And now, to deliver the Disclaimer, I give you the Knights of the Square Table!

(The Guardia Knights jump in)

Knights: We're Knights of the Square Table, we dance whene'er we're able. We kick in rings and chorus scenes and we're quite un-fa-tigue-ab-le. We feast the dining room a lot; we eat ham and jam and spam a lot!

We're Knights of the Square Table, our shows are for-mid-ab-le. But there are times we're given rhymes that are quite un-sing-ab-le. Between our quests we sequin vests and impersonate Clark Gable. It's a busy life to war a lot...

Chef (deep bass): I have to cook their meals a lot...

(Chorus number ends. There's a small silence before Kit Thespian says)

Kit Thespian: On second thought, let's not let them give the Disclaimer; they are a silly bunch.

(Kit Thespian does not own Chrono Trigger or the characters therein, and she is not making any money off of this.)

_Author's note: By now, you are probably wondering whatever happened to that little orange kitten that Magus picked up at Ozzie's Fort. Well, it's quite simple. When the group went to 1000 AD, they made a quick stop at the End of Time first, picked up the orange kitten, and took it to Crono's house where it frolics with Crono's cat to this day._

Chapter Eight- The Battle

"Magus...I would have words with thee," Glenn spoke to Magus as they were all preparing for the Final Battle with Queen Zeal and Lavos. Magus went with the knight aside and Glenn said, "I have spoken with the Guru of Time... I must apologize for my behavior to thee. It was unseemly of me and I realize that. I would not give thee a chance to redeem thyself, and now I realize that it was I who wast the villain in this situation, not thou." Glenn, biting his lip, took off his right gauntlet and offered his bare hand to Magus to take, "I ask for thy forgiveness, and thy friendship."

Magus looked at Glenn's hand for a moment, and then he took the glove off of his right hand and placed his hand in Glenn's.

"I freely give both," he said, "friend."

The battle plan was as follows: Being the strongest spellcasters, Crono, Magus, and Lucca would be in the front line. Behind them would stand the four healers Glenn, Marle, Ayla, and Robo. Magic would be the only tool against Lavos, so the four healers would have to do everything in their power to make sure the three spellcasters remained alive.

They took the Epoch to 12,000 BC, and flew straight to the Black Omen. The seven walked towards the entrance. Crono was the first to notice the guard robots and he dodged a laser beam shot by one just before it hit him. Glenn leapt at the left row of wall guards and cut their weapons off and swiftly lopped them away. Lucca had taken out her gun and shot the right row.

Glenn returned to the group, and Magus said to him, an eyebrow raised,

"You should watch yourself. We don't need to lose a healer."

"I am perfectly capably of watching myself, I thank thee very much," Glenn answered, sheathing his sword.

"I was only jesting."

"I know. Let us proceed."

The Black Omen was one large path of twists and turns with hideous monsters and dangerous inventions all bent on destroying any intruders. The group had to stop time and again to replenish themselves after fighting a large battle with Zeal's lackey beasts. They finally reached the pinnacle of the Black Omen, and Magus could hear someone chanting things from the inside of the last room, the Throne Room. He swallowed. It was his mother.

He had often thought of confronting his mother, but to actually fight her, and strike her down, was a task that he was loathed to do. It was Lavos, not Zeal, who was his enemy in truth. But he walked with the rest of the group towards the room, and through the door.

Zeal stood on a platform above her throne at the center of the room. She had her arms outstretched in working her spells and she still wore the heavy robes of a queen. Magus looked and his heart froze when he saw a certain figure suspended in air in a pink glow towards the back of the room. It didn't take him long to be able to figure out who it was, even from the distance between them.

_Schala..._

Zeal turned around and faced the intruders.

"You again!" she sneered, "I suppose you didn't learn your lesson, did you? You were lucky enough to escape my clutches last time, but now you will die!"

She threw a bolt of energy towards the group, but Marle and Glenn were able to lift a force field up just powerful enough to keep the deadliest elements of the spell out. But enough of the magic seeped through to knock everyone off of their feet, even Robo. Glenn recovered first and Magus was next. Magus stood up and screamed,

"Mother, no!"

Up to this point, it was a forgotten point to most of the group that Zeal was in fact Magus' mother, and they waited with baited breath for the Queen's reaction. Her eyes widened with surprise, but her cruelties did not lessen. It was perhaps through her wicked powers that she recognized Magus as quickly as she did.

"So...Janus...you were that Prophet. You came from another time, no doubt, and you tried to take my kingdom!"

"What kingdom? You have nothing except this wretched keep in the sky," Magus exclaimed, "Zeal is destroyed, swept into the sea. Lavos has driven you mad! It was Its blood I sought, not yours! You were kind once, I remember that! Stop this insanity, or we will have to destroy you, Mother!"

Zeal only cackled and started to prepare another dose of magic in her palms. Crono was ready for it by now, and he summoned his strongest magic, "Luminare" and hurled it towards the unprepared Queen. It knocked the Queen off of the platform, and she was wounded deeply.

Lucca was prepared to cast her strongest spell, "Flare" and Marle had an ice spell ready. But somehow they could all see how the dark presence about Zeal had fled, and she was on the ground, writhing and moaning.

"Schala..." Her voice was pitiful, and sweet, "Janus...Belthasar..."

Magus rushed to her side. The others stood ready just in case it was a trap. Magus took her in his arms, gently.

"Mother?" he spoke. Her face had lost the cruel lining and she was quite beautiful now, like Belthasar had said. She looked up at him, tears streaming out of her eyes,

"Janus? What happened?"

"Mother, it will be all right, just...Mother?"

Zeal's eyes were still open but unseeing. Her eyelids drooped and no breath passed through her lips. Magus did not try to hide his emotions this time. He held his mother's body closer to him and a sob escaped him. The others stood aside, solemn and quiet. Lucca walked to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Schala!" Marle exclaimed.

Magus looked up and saw that the pink glow that surrounded his sister had faded and she was slowly descending to the ground. Glenn had already run over there and he caught her in his arms. Before anyone else could react, there was a horrible screech that shook the floor on which they stood and wrung their senses. Lucca and Marle couldn't hear their own screams as they covered their ears.

There had been a portal right outside of the Throne Room that would lead them back to the Epoch if they so chose. Crono had the sense to order Robo to take Schala, who was still in a state of delirium, to the Epoch and go straight to the End of Time where she would be safe. That left the remaining six warriors to deal with the horror that was to come.

An enormous portal emerged. All the tunnels before this time had been an eerie black or dark blue color, but this one showed a plethora of colors. There were even colors that they had never seen before. But the colors were not beautiful, as one would wish a new color to be. They were hideous and evil, and all the allies felt violated by the sight of them. And there was a presence, so horrid and terrible that all of the heroes had to swallow the gorge rising in their throats. Before any more movements could be made, all six of them were dragged into the portal.

Theylanded on a cold, dank surface, and all the colors vanished. Magus was puzzled, for he had expected to see the great spiked creature, as he and the others had always seen Lavos. But there was only thick darkness for a few moments. Crono whispered,

"Is everyone all right?"

A chorus of replies chimed in and all six voices could be heard.

"What is this place?" Marle asked, with a shiver in her voice.

"I don't know," Magus answered. He felt desperate hands find him and cling to his cape in the dark. He felt her hair and knew it was Lucca. He wrapped an arm around her and murmured, "Stay close," he spoke louder, "everybody stay close...What's that noise?"

Everyone listened for a moment, and heard the sound of faint breathing. Then something began to glow. It was a form, that looked something like a human, but had large feathery arms, and a long face. Its eyes were black and its mouth opened and closed like a fish's would. It was about nine feet tall, Magus estimated.

Then it spoke, with a deep, gutteral voice, "Who has destroyed my vessel?"

At first, the party thought that "vessel" meant the Black Omen, but then they slowly realized that Lavos was referring to Queen Zeal, who had been possessed of Lavos. Crono stepped forward,

"It was I. Do you recognize me?" he answered. If there was one thing Magus had to admire about that kid, it was his bravery.

"You?" Lavos spoke, mockingly, "You're just a boy!" Obviously, he didn't.

"What are you?" Lucca gathered her courage and asked, "And why are you here?"

"That should be _my_ question," the horrific being chuckled, "but I will humor you. I was sent."

"Sent?" Glenn spoke, "Sent by whom?"

Lavos spoke a word in a language that no one in the team had ever heard. Seeing their confused faces, Lavos said,

"I see you don't understand me. The best words in your language to describe my sender are 'Being of Destruction'. In return for the utter elimination of the human race, I will get to dispoil an entire planet, and feed its energy to my offspring when its ransacking is complete! I don't know who it was who gave you the ability to travel through time, but your journey ends now!"

There was a brilliant flash of light and the party was thrust into yet another portal, another dimension. Lavos had chosen Its battle ground.

Marle and Glenn had barely enough time to recover and send up a shield of defense against Lavos' first attack. Magus summoned his strongest magic and the dark mists flowed into his hands, all around him, and he thrust it at the inhuman creature. It struck Lavos, and the monster stumbled back as if It had been punched in the stomach. Lucca was ready before It recovered and she threw a sphere of flaring fire into the Its eyes. Lavos screeched with agony and rage, and retaliated..

It blasted a cluster of magic which resembled a large rock, and it struck Magus and Lucca to the ground. Ayla and Marle went straight to work healing them as fast as they could, while Glenn stood behind Crono as the youth prepared his lightning attack. As the dome of burning energy surrounded the shrieking Lavos, Magus stumbled back up and gathered more shadow magic.

It seemed to last for hours. Though every blow sent from the team would have ended the life of any other villain, Lavos would not be destroyed. But finally, as Crono flung one more massive bolt of lightning magic at the creature, the being screamed and shriveled, shouting curses at the team as It perished. The last thing any of them remembered before total blackness took them was Lavos' wretched corpse diminishing to dust...

_The End of Time..._

Magus awakened to a woman's voice speaking to him,

"Janus...Are you waking up, Janus?"

At first he thought it was Lucca, for she was the only woman he knew that addressed him as such. Oh so he thought...

"Here, Janus, you need to sit up and drink this. It will refresh you."

Magus' eyes popped open as he recognized the voice. He looked up and saw his sister Schala.

"Schala, I..." he spoke, "How did you know?"

"Gaspar explained everything to me," the beautiful woman replied, "I know what happened. Come, sit up."

Magus was in such awe at addressing his sister as her brother for the first time in twenty years that he temporarily forgot the most important thing. He remembered in a moment though,

"The others? Lucca?"

He looked around and saw all of his team members in different places in the End of Time. Ayla was already quite active and telling Spekkio everything that had happened, from her point of view. Glenn and Marle were awake, but still a little lethargic. Crono was just now stirring. Lucca was lying on the ground, unmoving.

In a desperate move, Magus tried to crawl towards her but a wave of dizziness filled his head and he stumbled. Schala hastily went to his side and put the cup that she was holding up to his mouth.

"Janus! You shouldn't try to move until you drink this. Please, don't be stubborn."

The cup was filled with the green, foamy liquid contained in a bucket in one of the corners. Magus had nevered minded the taste of it; it was actually cold with a pleasant lime taste. As soon as he drank "every last drop," as Schala insisted, he was able to control his movements without dizziness, but his body was still very tired. He went to Lucca's side and took off his cape (which had amazingly survived the battle and managed to stay on Magus' back) and wrapped it around her. He didn't want her to wake up cold. He gently scooped her up in his arms, caring not that the muscles in his arms were sore and burning.

Lucca was pale and limp. Magus took off one of his gloves with his teeth and rubbed his hand against her hair and face. By now, Gaspar had attended to Crono and given him the drink. Everyone's attention was presently fixed on Magus and Lucca. A silence fell, and was broken only when Lucca began to moan and stir her head. Schala swiftly got a cup of the green water and gave it to Magus, who waited for Lucca to fully regain consciousness.

"Your wife?" Schala asked, smiling.

Magus nodded, not taking his eyes off of Lucca, "My wife."

Lucca's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Magus. Without a word, she accepted the drink that he offered.

"Can you sit up?" Magus asked.

"Yes." The color was returning to Lucca's skin and her eyes became brighter by the minute. She said, "How long has it been?"

Magus was curious to know himself. Gaspar answered,

"Ayla was asleep for an entire day. Glenn awoke in a day and a half, andfor Marle it was two days. As for you three, it has been three days since the battle. Pretty convenient numbers, hmm?"

"You were gone for a week before all of you appeared here," Schala said.

"A week?" Lucca spoke, "We fought for a week?"

"Perhaps, and perhaps not," Gaspar replied, "From what I've been told it seems that Lavos pulled all of you into another dimension altogether. But now that he has been defeated, we can rest at ease about the fate of the human race." He turned to Marle, "Now, tell all of them what you told me."

Marle had had a vision while she was unconscious. A great white Person had appeared before her, congratulating her and all the others for defeating the One sent by the Being of Destruction. It was for that purpose, and many others, that He (the Person) had opened the time portals. And He had a message for all of the team members.

For Ayla, that she would live in peace for the rest of her days and that her tribe would prosper all of her days. For Glenn, that the greatest feat he had ever accomplished was not aiding in defeating Lavos, but finding it within himself to forgive Magus, and he would reap rewards for his mercy. For Crono, that it was He who had provided a way through Gaspar to save Crono's life, and that Crono was destined for many more great things before his life was through. For Marle, that through her many great kings would descend. For Lucca, that she had never been alone all the times that she thought she was alone, and she would never feel alone again. For Robo, that he would exist in the new future as well as the old. And for Magus, that the opening of the time portals was just as purposeful in saving him from Lavos in the Middle Ages as it was for ultimately defeating Lavos, and that Magus mattered to Him so much that he gave him another chance at life.

When Marle had asked the Person for His name, He had answered that those who had known Him called Him "The Entity."

The Gurus had known who the Entity was, and they had taught Schala and Janus about Him when they were children, but Zeal had forbade anymore teaching after she turned to Lavos for power. And now, at hearing of this great vision, the teachings were brought back to the siblings' memory. One was that magic did not come from Lavos, but was gift to the human race from the Entity, perverted by the foreign creature sent by the Being of Destruction.

In awe of this, everyone said hardly a word before they all settled down to rest.


	9. An Almost Disaster

(Enter Magus and Lucca)

Lucca: ...No, I don't get it either. I mean, there _has_ to be a reason, but I can't think of it right now.

Magus: I wonder who it was who thought of making us a couple in the first place. Imagine! You and me?

Lucca: All these weird fics about you and me, you and me, you and me; they never end! It's like wildfire!

Magus (looking offstage, in horror): It's Kit Thespian! Hide me!

Lucca: Too late.

(Enter Kit Thespian)

Kit Thespian: Hey, guys! (sees Magus cringing) Magus, loosen up. I'm not threatening anybody today.

Lucca: Kit Thespian, we have a question. Why do most of the Chrono Trigger fan fiction authors seem to like the Magus/Lucca pairing?

Kit Thespian: Whoa...that's a tough one...Let me see if I can figure this out... (gets out a notepad and writes several things for several minutes while Magus and Lucca wait, albeit impatiently, aside) All right, I've deduced down to three reasons:

#1- Everyone hates to see either Magus or Lucca to be alone.

#2- Magus and Lucca seem to be the only two of the main characters who have two whole brains between them, and the common sense to match.

#3- They just seem to be each other's type. Antisocial and Compassionate. What can I say?

(Magus and Lucca ponder this wisdom for a moment, look at each other, shrug, and walk offstage arm in arm)

Kit Thespian (sighs): Aw...ain't they sweet? Anyway, here's the review response...

xsrx: Thank you!

zipis1: To tell the truth, that part in Chapter seven when Spekkio and Gaspar are arguing has to be one of my favorite parts too. And oh, yes, Schala and Lucca ought to become fast friends.

Lone Gunmen: Yes, this fic will end...but not today. He he he...

MikariStar: Glad to make you laugh!

Disclaimer: Kit Thespian does not own the video game Chrono Trigger or the characters therein.

_Author's note: Taban seems to be a little meaner..._

Chapter Nine- An Almost Disaster

Everyone in the party went to Truce Village for the end of the Millennial Fair. The plan was for everyone to stay until the fair ended at midnight, and then they would be taken in the Epoch to their different destinations. Magus and Lucca decided it would probably be for the best if they both went to 12000 BC with Schala, and built a life there in the Last Village. The people would know and follow Schala, and they would love Janus and his wife too. Magus and Lucca knew in their hearts that they both couldn't belong together in either 1000 AD or 600 AD.

It would be hard, but Lucca had to say goodbye to her parents. She had planned to do so without the awkwardness of Magus standing there. But when Taban and Lara came to the Millennial Fair, Lucca would not have the sweet parting that she had hoped for. Magus, Glenn, and Crono had gone aside to discuss the plans for the dropping-off schedule in the Epoch. Lucca was looking at the fountain when she heard her mother Lara's voice a few yards off, in a pleading tone,

"Taban, please! Don't do this...!"

Before Lucca could do anything, she felt a hand clasp onto her hair and jerk her around. She gasped in pain and her face was immediately thrust in front of her father's angry eyes.

"How dare you show your face in this town?" he growled, "You're no daughter of mine!"

Lucca honestly did not know what he was talking about, for she and the others hadn't been in Truce for more than ten minutes and had very little chance to talk to anyone. Her eyes wildly looked around and she saw several adults behind her father. Her mother had run away. Taban threw her down on the ground and said,

"Master Brandosh had paid a visit to Medina Village to sell some of his goods there and what does he see? He sees Lucca Ashtear going into a room in the inn with a young man, to share a bed with him!"

Several people who had not been a part of this but had been watching the scene gasped in horror. Lucca could hear the words "Whore" and "Harlot" muttering under many people's breaths. She knew the penalty well enough for a young woman to sacrifice her virtue to a man to whom she was not married: to be dragged out of town and pelted with rocks until death. It was useless to protest, for the penalty for a woman marrying against her father's wishes was the same as well. She had known this, and told Magus about it, and they both agreed to keep it a secret. Lucca was wearing her wedding ring on her right hand instead of her left. Janus...Where was Janus?

_"Janus!"_ she screamed _"Ja..."_ One of the men with her father gagged her and they all began to drag her out of the Square.

_On the other side of the Square..._

"We should probably go from the future and then backwards," Crono suggested to his friends, "That way...What's all that racket?"

"Crono!" Lara was frantically running towards the three and tugged on Crono's sleeve, "It's Lucca! Taban has denounced her as a whore and they're taking her out of the town! Come quickly!"

Crono and Glenn rushed with Lara towards the Square's exit, but Magus flew over the trees, muttering curses and wondering how Taban could have possibly found out. He cared not for the little children in the Square pointing out the strange flying man as he spotted the crowd of men and women leaving the town. Like a lightning bolt he landed in front of the crowd, took out his scythe and pointed the tip in Taban's direction. He knew that it was Lucca's father from the way he was handling Lucca; it was the father's duty to actually take the girl out and throw the first rock at her.

"Leave her be!" Magus boomed.

"That's him!" Brandosh shouted from the crowd, "That's the man!"

"Stone him too!" A woman yelled.

"Let her go..." Magus continued, undaunted, "Or all of you will die, I swear it!"

He was met with a row of laughter from the crowd, and not surprisingly since he was outnumbered about thirty to one. A man threw a large rock at him and struck him on the shoulder. It broke the skin and Magus growled in response. He furiously glared at the man who cast the stone and thrust a stream of fire magic at him. The man shrieked and fell to the ground, covered in flames.

Lucca screamed, "Janus, please! No!"

Magus remembered in that moment that these were not warriors but ignorant villagers who had no idea of whom they were dealing with. He immediately cast an ice spell which counteracted the fire and put it out. But the people were so struck with terror that Taban's grip on Lucca loosened and she wrung out of his arms and ran to Magus. Magus grabbed her and flew up in the air towards the woods.

No one in Truce in 1000 AD ever saw Magus and Lucca again, for while Magus was flying in the air with Lucca in tow, they were met by Crono and the others in the Epoch. When Crono and Glenn saw Magus going towards the crowd, they figured that he could handle it by himself and they ran to get the Epoch and the women and Robo.

Lucca, for the first time since the North Cape, had grown hysterical. Magus felt somewhat helpless in dealing with her state, so he let Schala and Marle pet and coddle her for a while. She calmed down in a few minutes, as the Epoch streamed through time towards the future. Glenn went to Magus and placed some healing magic on his shoulder.

"Thank you..." Magus said.

"Thou'rt welcome," Glenn took a seat beside Magus, "Thou didst defend thy lady well."

Magus observed Marle healing the scratches and bruises that Lucca had acquired and he murmured, "Not well enough."

"Well enough to save her life," Glenn spoke, "And that is well enough."

After leaving Robo in the future, the next stop was taking Crono and Marle back to the present. They dropped them off near the castle. Then they took Glenn to the middle ages, and then Ayla to the prehistoric times. The last destination was the Dark Ages, and the Last Village.

The blizzards had subsided though the land was still covered in snow. The Elder of the Last Village welcomed Schala wholeheartedly and everyone was joyous in seeing her. There were about three hundred people in the village, and the Elder and Schala had a time explaining to all of them who Magus really was and why he was a grown adult now. But those who had known Janus (nearly all of them) were convinced when they saw how the cat Alfador had run to him purring the moment that Magus had entered the village.

The dialogue had been very interesting.

"Look how little Alfador takes to him!"

"He does...He does _look_ like Master Janus."

Alfador had accidentally clawed Magus' leg trying to get him to pick him up, and the wizard grimaced and furrowed his eyebrow. He looked down at Alfador and said, "Alfador, get off!"

All the people took a closer look at him then and one man said,

"Yep, that's Janus."

It took about a week to get the huts put up for Schala and Janus and Lucca. Magus had never worked with his hands like this before and his gloves wore out fast, but the callouses from training with his scythe minimized the blistering somewhat. Lucca dismantled the Epoch so that no one would travel through time and cause some sort of disaster. Though the remaining people of Zeal had been stripped of their powers, they were still intelligent and educated enough to be able to operate the Epoch.

There was a valley nearby the village were the snow had thawed away and there was some greenery there. This was where the villagers were growing their food. Magus and the rest of the men would go down there every day to clear the land and attend to the crops. The reasons why the village did not move down there was so there would be more room to grow food, and that the possibility of flooding was too great.

One day, about three weeks after their arrival, Schala and Lucca went to the forest near the village to gather some roots and leaves for medicine. Then there was a flash of light nearby and a moment later they heard a voice say,

"What strange place is this?" There was a pause and the snow and leaves crunched underneath the man's feet, "Where didst the Entity send me to?"

Lucca and Schala looked at each other in shock. Lucca spoke,

"Oh, no. It can't be..."


	10. Big Surprise

(Kit Thespian enters)

Kit Thespian: Review Response!

zipis1: Whoa...Thank you for that extensive research and report! Yes, go ahead and take off the fake glasses. Yeah, I think Taban lost his mind. I really wanted for Magus to just kick his tail, but that didn't seem like the new Magus. Ah well.

Lone Gunmen: Yes! _Vive le_ story! _Vive le_ story! You can go ahead and visit Taban for all I care. Here's the update...

Kit Thespian: And now, to give the Disclaimer we have... (A tall man enters the stage. He has long silver hair, beaming green eyes, and a very long sword strapped to his back.) What the...? _Sephiroth?_ What the heck are you doing here?! You're supposed to be in the Final Fantasy VII catagory, not Chrono Trigger! Get back to FFVII _now_!

Sephiroth: I have come to conquer the Chrono Trigger world! It shall be mine! HA, HA, HA, HA!!!

Kit Thespian: Uh, why, may I ask?

(Sephiroth walks over to Kit Thespian and leans over)

Sephiroth (whispering): Because...I...am...(shouts) EVIL!

Kit Thespian (ears ringing): Okaaay...

(Crono, Magus, and Glenn walk in, obviously infuriated)

Crono: Kit Thespian, you've gotta do something about this guy! He comes barging in here with that sword of his saying that he and his mother are going to destroy us all. He eats our food...

Glenn: And he doth stealeth our women! None of the fangirls shall pay attention to us now!

Magus (walks over to Sephiroth): All right, shoulder pads, there's room for only one tall guy with long hair, penetrating eyes, a tragic past, and a large weapon that nobody else can handle. This catagory isn't big enough for the both of us!

Sephiroth: Oh, yeah?

Magus: Yeah!

Sephiroth: Then I will destroy you!

Magus: Go ahead and try it, _girly bangs_!

Sephiroth: Who're you calling 'girly bangs', _widow's peak_!

Magus: _Girly bangs_!

Sephiroth: _Widow's peak_!

Kit Thespian (holds up her hands): HOLD IT! Before anybody destroys anybody, let me make something clear. (to Crono and Glenn) I'm sorry, I only have control over the characters in the catagory I'm writing in. I couldn't do anything to Sephiroth unless I wrote a FFVII story... But there _is_ something I can do. (walks to Sephiroth) Sephiroth, you are a match for all of us here, and there is none of us who can defeat you.

Crono (whispers to Glenn): What's she doing?

Glenn: I think she doth appeal to the man's ego.

Kit Thespian (to Sephiroth): Therefore we surrender, but first I have to get something straight. You are not in a story.

Sephiroth: What do you mean I'm 'not in a story'?"

Kit Thespian: Well, you just happened to stumble in...

Sephiroth: I AM SEPHIROTH! I stumble _nowhere_!

Kit Thespian: Fine then, you _walked_ into a Disclaimer. I know they have Disclaimers over there in FFVII fiction, right?

Sephiroth: ...Right.

Kit Thespian: Now, you can rule here in the semi-real world of the fan fiction catagory, but you're going to have to accept the consequences. Such as, dealing with all the adoring maidens.

Sephiroth: Maidens?

Kit Thespian: Oh, yes. A tall, strapping fellow such as yourself will be a huge hit here.

Sephiroth: Hmm... (to himself) And I have a horrid enough time already fighting off the Sephiroth romance freaks...

Kit Thespian: Oh, here come some of the maidens now...

Sephiroth: What...?

(A huge crowd of fangirls come into the room)

Kit Thespian: Hey, ladies, look! It's Sephiroth!

(Fangirls squeal with delight.)

Sephiroth (looking a little terrified): Um, why are they looking at me like that?

Kit Thespian: Didn't you know? Fangirls go absolutely _rabid_ over sexy villains. All right, girls, he's all yours!

(Sephiroth dashes out of the stage screaming for his mommy with the huge crowd of fangirls chasing after him.)

Kit Thespian: Well, that ought to take care of him for a while.

**Disclaimer: **Kit Thespian does not own Chrono Trigger (or Final Fantasy VII, for that matter) or the characters therein. And she is not making money off this fic.

Chapter 10- Big Surprise

"Glenn?" Lucca and Schala's mouths dropped as they beheld the medieval knight brushing the snow off of his clothes and looking around. Once he caught sight of the two women, he gaped in shock at them.

"Miss Schala? Mistress Lucca? Thou...? Am I in the Dark Ages?" he asked.

Schala nodded and Lucca went to embrace her old friend. She asked,

"How long have you been in the Middle Ages?"

"How long hast _thou_ been hither?" he asked in return.

"For three weeks," Lucca replied, "answer my question."

"Three weeks? Why, I hath dwelt in my time for four entire years!"

"Four _years_?" It was hard to believe that so much time had passed for their friend and they had only lived in the Last Village for three weeks. Lucca then started to laugh.

"What is so amusing?" Glenn asked.

"I just can't wait to see the look on Janus' face when he comes home and you are here!"

Lucca and Schala took Glenn back to Lucca and Magus' hut and and Lucca prepared a cup of tea. The cup was made of clay and had no handle, but Glenn was extremely grateful for the hot drink. He had never enjoyed being in this time period, and now it seemed he was permanently stuck here, after Lucca explained to him that she had to dismantle the Epoch. He shivered in his velvet cloak, and Schala said to him,

"Those are very fine clothes. Were you in a high position in your time?"

Glenn answered, "Naught too important, lass. I was the Chief Warden of the southern province."

"They never made you the Knight Captain? What were they thinking?" Lucca asked.

"I...I actually declined from taking the position, for they did offer it to me," Glenn said, "I did not know the reason at the time for mine resisting, but now it is quite obvious. A Warden can be replaced a good deal easier than a Knight Captain, I'm afraid," He looked at himself, and chuckled, "How amusing it is. I am stranded in the remaining refuse of the Zeal Disaster, and I happen to be dressed in my best clothes."

"You can stay here until your home is built, Glenn," Lucca spoke. Glenn held up a hand and said,

"No, I think not that your husband would appreciate that."

"I have an idea," Schala said, "You can stay in my house and I can sleep here."

"Now, _that_ is something I will _not_ allow!" Glenn protested, "A lady shall not give up her abode to accommodate me!"

"I suppose we'll work it out when Janus gets here..." Lucca said. Then she heard a horn being blown outside, signifying that it was the end of the work day, "...And here he comes. I'll go and tell him that you're here."

She got up from her chair, rather quickly, and then a flash of dizziness rushed through her head and she had to catch herself on the back of her chair. Schala and Glenn leapt to their feet and went to assist her.

"It's okay..." she said, "I'm all right now. I guess I'm still not used to the air here."

She then promptly left the hut, leaving Glenn puzzled.

"I do not feel dizzy, and I hath just arrived. Thou dost not thinketh she is ill, dost thou?" he asked.

"I don't know... She may be. She seems a little paler than usual."

"I do hope that she is not ill. This is a most pathetic climate from which to acquire an ailment."

Schala looked at the knight and raised an eyebrow, "There's something I've always wanted to ask you. Why on earth do you talk the way you do?"

Glenn blinked, "Er...My family spake in this fashion. My entire village did. T'was a small village, and a famine drove everyone away, except for a lass name Fiona, who strove to revive the land. And she did succeed, for the forests returned...But after mine time."

"I see..."

"Mine speech maketh thee uncomfortable?"

"Oh, no! I think it's nice."

"I thank thee. Even in the royal courts, some would giveth me strange looks whenever I opened mine mouth."

Schala laughed.

Lucca met Magus as he was walking through the streets approaching their hut. She greeted him and then said that she had to tell him something before they went home.

"What is it?" he said.

"Well, it seems that the Entity has seen fit to send one more person through time. Someone that we know from another time came into the forest near the village through a time gate."

Magus furrowed his eyebrows, "Who?"

"It's Glenn."

"Oh...that's a relief."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought you were about to say Ayla."

"Janus! This is serious! Now, when we get home we need to discuss where he's going to stay until his home is built. Since I've dismantled the Epoch, and the time gate disappeared, there's really no way for Glenn to get back to the Middle Ages."

"I see." Magus looked a lot more calm than he actually felt. He had never expected to see Glenn again.

When they reached the hut and the wizard and knight saw each other, they were both too stricken with suprise to speak. Magus was surprised to see how finely the knight was dressed, and Glenn was shocked to see Magus dressed in plain, brown working clothes with his hair pulled back in a low ponytail and his face and hands streaked with dirt. But Magus was the first to speak.

"Welcome to my home," he said.

"Thou...lookest different."

"You look like a woven bowl of silken fruit. Lucca has told me our two options concerning your housing, and I think it would be more prudent if you stay here for the time being. Some of the villagers would not appreciate it if you 'evicted' Schala out of her home, though we know that is not really the case. There is another cot in the corner."

"I thank thee, Magus."

"Please...I'm only Janus now. I'd better get cleaned up." And he walked into the other room in the hut. There was a short silence before Lucca spoke up,

"More tea?"

_The End of Time..._

"Now, why do you suppose _that_ happened?" Spekkio asked Gaspar as they observed the events.

"I really don't know, but I have a few guesses," Gaspar answered, "Perhaps there is something in the Dark Ages that must be reckoned with and only spellcasters can do it."

"But Lavos is destroyed."

"We'll have to wait and see. The cause is hidden to me right now..."


	11. Bigger Surprise

Kit Thespian: Review Response!

Lone Gunmen: Yep, I have WAY too much fun with these Disclaimers. I just started playing Final Fantasy VII and I am newly discovering what a cool character Sephiroth is, so I had to do something silly with that.

zipis1: Your suspicions will be confirmed in this chapter. (grins evilly) Oh, the sadistic-ness of me!

Dark Creation: I never thought that it was kosher, the way they fight a lot in some of the fics. Lucca seems to me to be one of those people that would let things slide. She strikes me as a "submissive" sort in the video game, although she does have a temper.

MikariStar: Thank you! That is the way I prefer to think of the Entity, rather than some strange being that really doesn't care about the humans.

Kit Thespian: Now, Ozzie, Slash, Flea! It's your turn to do the Disclaimer.

(Flea pops his head in)

Flea: What if we don't want to? (Slash and Ozzie come in)

Slash: Yeah, you, like, brutally killed us in this fic, you know.

Ozzie: All right, Kit Thespian, we'll do the Disclaimer, but you've got to let us do it _our_ way!

Flea (puzzled): What's our way?

(The three get in a huddle and whisper amongst themselves)

Flea: Oh! I get it! (runs offstage and gets a boombox)

Kit Thespian: Uh...what're you going to do?

Ozzie: You'll see! (pushes PLAY button and music for the bridge from "Bohemian Rhapsody" starts)

Kit Thespian: Oh, no... (covers ears)

Ozzie (singing): _I see a little sillouette of a man..._

Slash and Flea (singing): _Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?_

All: _Lots of bolts of lightning! Very, very frightening ME!_

Flea (high-pitched): _Galileo!_

Slash: _Galileo!_

Flea: _Galileo!_

Slash: _Galileo!_

Flea: _Galileo figaro!_

All: _Magnificoooo..._

Ozzie: _I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me..._

Slash and Flea: _He's just a poor boy, from a poor family! Spare him this life from this monstrosity!_

Ozzie: _Easy come, easy go. Will you let me go!_

Slash and Flea: _We will not! No! We will not let you go!_

Ozzie: _Let me go!_

Slash and Flea: _We will not! We will not let you go!_

Ozzie: _Let me go!_

Slash and Flea: _We will not! We will not let you go!_

Ozzie: _Let me go!_

Slash and Flea: _Will not let you go!_

Ozzie: _Let me go!_

Slash and Flea: _Will not let you go!_

Ozzie: _No, let me gooooo!_

Slash and Flea: _No, no, no, no, no, no, no!_

Ozzie:_ Oh, mama mia, mama mia..._

All: _Mama mia, let me go! Beelzebub has the devil by this side for meeee, for meeee, for MEEEEE!!!_

(After seeing Kit Thespian writhing on the ground in auditorial agony, the three grin maliciously at the audience)

Ozzie: Kit Thespian does not own the video game Chrono Trigger...

Flea: ...Or the characters therein.

Slash: ...And she's not making money off of this.

Kit Thespian: Medic...Medic...

Chapter 11- Bigger Surpise

About a month and a half after arriving in the Dark Ages (three weeks for Glenn), Janus and Glenn were walking home from the fields in the late afternoon when Schala approached them. She had a mischievous look on her face, as if hiding a very delicious secret. She said to her brother,

"Janus, you need to go home quickly. Lucca has something to tell you."

"What is it?" Janus asked.

"It's something that Lucca wants to tell you _personally_."

Making no further comments, Janus continued on to his and Lucca's house while Schala stayed behind with Glenn.

"What is it that Lucca must have audience with her husband about?" asked Glenn.

Schala leaned over and whispered the secret in Glenn's ear. Glenn's eyes grew wider than a bug's and he spoke,

"Gracious, this shall be quite interesting."

"Interesting? I think it's wonderful!" Schala beamed.

_In the hut..._

"Hello, Janus," Lucca had her most pleasing smile on her face as she went and greeted her husband with a kiss, "how was your day?"

"Nothing disastrous..." Janus said, "Schala said you have something to tell me."

"Yes, there is that," there was a trace of nervousness in Lucca's voice, "you'd better sit down. I'll make you something to drink. Are you hungry?"

_Outside..._

"Doth it usually take a good deal of time to announce these things?" Glenn asked.

"Patience, Glenn," Schala answered, "She's got to butter him up first. You know, get him in a good mood."

"Janus in a good mood?"

"Well, the best she can do, at any rate."

_In the hut..._

Lucca gave Janus some broth and bread and while he was eating she let him tell her of the particular incidents in the valley. But after a couple of exchanges, he insisted on her telling him what he apparently needed to know.

"Is it a surprise or something?" he asked.

That was a rather silly thing to ask, all things considered. But Janus truly had no idea of what he was about to hear. Lucca, who was sitting in the wooden chair across from his, twiddled her thumbs for a second and then, after taking a deep breath, said,

"It's going to come as a great surprise to you. It amazed me too, but I..."

_The End of Time..._

Gaspar exclaimed, jumping up and down, "Oh, happy day! Oh, happy day!"

"What? What is it?" Spekkio asked.

"Isn't it obvious? She's..."

_In the hut..._

Janus stared wide-eyed and slack-jawed at his wife for a moment before speaking,

"I...I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly."

Lucca smirked and crossed her arms, "I think you heard me perfectly."

"But it _sounded_ like you said you are going to have a baby."

"Probably because that's what I _said_."

"...Oh."

Silence ensued before Lucca asked,

"...Is that all you're going to say? 'Oh'?"

"Oh...boy?"

"Or girl."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know."

"Uh..." Janus scratched his chin, "when?"

"About seven or seven and half months, somewhere in there."

"Lucca," Janus said, trying to ignore the funny feeling in his stomach, "I must tell you that I know nothing about children. Absolutely _nothing_."

"Schala and I will help you out. You and Glenn can be partners in sympathy. I don't think he knows anything about it either."

Janus knew that this was supposed to be happy news, but since he knew nil about the joys of parenthood, he didn't quite understand why it was supposed to be happy. He remained numb throughout the rest of the evening, lost in his thoughts. He remembered what Belthasar had said to him when he lay dying. _I love you, son... Always, I loved you..._

Janus remembered the times when he was a young boy and Belthasar was teaching him. Now that Janus knew the truth, Belthasar's behavior towards him made a lot more sense. Melchior had been a stern teacher who was fond of his student, and Gaspar liked to tease Janus like an uncle or a much older brother would, but Belthasar was the only one of the three who showed devotion to the little Prince.

One of the conversations they had stuck out in Janus' mind now. He was only six at the time, and Queen Zeal had not begun to show her changing nature yet. He was with Belthasar in his learning room and little Janus had asked the question:

_"Why are they mean to me?"_

_Belthasar turned his head and raised an eyebrow,_

_"Who is?"_

_"Just some of the people. They don't like me. They laugh at me. Why?"_

_Belthasar sighed and drew little Janus close to him and sat him on his lap. He said,_

_"Because some people are not as kind as others. But it is really no matter, little one. Your sister and mother are here, and they love you very much."_

_"Why?"_

_"Why what?"_

_"Why do they love me when nobody else does?"_

_"Goodness, my boy!" Belthasar was shocked, "They love you because you're part of their family, and they aren't the only ones..." Then Belthasar shut his mouth. He was saying too much. He continued, staying on the subject of the Queen and Schala, "Schala couldn't be happier to have a little brother like you. You are very special, my boy."_

_"But what about mother?"_

_"She loves you because you are her son."_

_"Why does it matter if I'm her son?"_

_"...Janus, a parent loves his or her child regardless. The reason is a mystery to all. A father or mother will love his or her children, simply because he or she is the parent. No one knows why this happens; it just does. The moment a parent looks on his child for the first time, a change comes on him...or her. Sometimes the change happens even before the child is born."_

_"Like magic?"_

_Belthasar chuckled, "Something greater than magic, Janus. Love is the greatest change of all... Now, back to your mechanics lesson..."_

The mystery of why a parent loves his or her child still remained unsolved to Janus. He couldn't understand it, or why, to look at the other end of the spectrum, a father could turn on his child so easily like Lucca's had done. Janus scowled when he thought of that horrible treachery and he swore he would never do such a thing his child, no matter what the offense was.

_His child..._ The very thought of it made Janus go numb again. It wasn't until the next day that he began to grasp what exactly the concept entailed. Glenn noticed how he shuffled his feet against the snow as they walked with the others towards the valley. Glenn was intelligent enough to know what the problem was.

"Janus," he said, "art thou still so abashed?"

"Just you wait, Glenn," Janus said, half-irritated, half-flustered, "Just you wait. You will meet a woman, get married, and then place yourself in this same situation that I am in and you will feel the exactly same emotions that I feel."

"What? Nervousness and absolute terror?"

"No, just nervousness."

"Had I known that thou wouldst behave in this manner I would have recommended thee as a court jester."

Janus scowled and said, clenching his fist, "If I weren't a changed man I would _show_ you 'jester'."

Glenn cheekily grinned, "Thou'rt definitely showing some small signs of absolute terror. Alas, they doth say that is what happeneth to most expectant fathers."

"...You are getting a lot a fun out of seeing me suffer, aren't you?"

"I am happy for thee. I am only hoaxing."

"With a friend like you, who needs enemies?"

"Who indeed?"

_Somewhere in the cosmos..._

"When will we make our move, Master?" A slithery voice queried to the black figure standing next to him.

"Patience, Dalton, patience. We will need to wait a while before we do anything."

"How long?"

"Oh, several years."

"Years?!"

The Being grinned, "When eternity is your lifespan, a few years matter not. And I should think that they matter not to you, considering that you are in my domain."

"But we will strike the Prophet and his loved ones first?"

"We will only strike them, and that will be all that it takes to effect the rest of them. The stability of the new timeline without Lavos depends on those four."

"Why can't we just go ahead and do away with them?"

"Dalton, Dalton..." the Being chuckled, "You want to see them suffer _horribly_, don't you?"

"Well, yes..."

"Suffering doesn't always mean death. We will make them _suffer_."


	12. Finally

(Magus, Frog, and Glenn pop their heads in, looking for Kit Thespian)

Glenn: Dost thou see her anywhere?

Magus: Nope, nowhere.

Crono (sighs): Good. No lousy Disclaimer.

(Kit Thespian, however, is hiding in the audience. She snickers evilly and snaps her fingers. Our formidable trio looks very funny all of sudden.)

Magus, Crono, and Glenn (singing and skipping about): _Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens! Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens! Brown paper packages tied up in strings! These are a few of my favorite things!_

(Kit Thespian snaps her fingers and the three come out of their state, with full knowledge of what they were doing.)

Crono: EEEEEKKK!!! How could you do that in front of all our fans?

Kit Thespian: That's for dissing the Disclaimer, the most sacred of Fan Fiction protocol. Now, Crono, you do the Disclaimer. (to Magus and Glenn) And as for you two, say you love me.

Magus and Glenn (half-heartedly): We love you, Miss Kit Thespian.

Kit Thespian: I can't hear youuuu!

Magus and Glenn (through their teeth): _We love you, Miss Kit Thespian!_

Kit Thespian: Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!

Crono: Kit Thespian does not own Chrono Trigger or the characters therein. And she is not making money off of this.

_Author's note: Warning for those it may concern, there's a childbirth scene. But nothing bloody._

Chapter Twelve- Finally...

As the blessed event came closer, Janus knew that his exterior shell of calmness was cracking, and there was not a thing that he could do to stop it. He knew that Glenn would snicker at him behind his back (and in front of it) and both Schala and Lucca both insisted that everything would be all right.

Now, don't get him wrong. It did not _appear_ that Janus was a nervous wreck. He did not show it as much as someone else would. The only reason that Lucca, Schala, and Glenn knew that he was nervous was because they knew him too well and that a slight nuance of change in his behavior was a sign of emotional stress. It wouldn't be much, just a jerk of the eyes, or Janus' characteristic sign of anxiety: looking down at the ground and scratching his chin. Nobody else would have known that he was worried except those closest to him. He would not express it verbally.

"Do you want to feel it move?" Lucca asked him one night when they were in bed. Janus turned his head and asked,

"Move? You can feel it move now?"

"Of course. Just place your hand here..." Lucca took Janus' hand and put it on her abdomen. She had just now begun to show her pregnancy. In that instant, Janus vowed that he would not twitch, flinch, or make any sudden movements no matter what he felt in the next moment, or he could easily hurt Lucca's feelings very badly.

The child's movements were very soft and subtle, but there all the same, like the gentle touch of a butterfly's wing. The emotion that Janus felt in that moment was quite different than he expected. He wasn't uncomfortable in the least; instead, he felt...happy, which was quite monumental for Janus. And an intense urge to tease his wife came over him and he couldn't stop himself from saying,

"Feels like a boy."

"Oh, really?" Lucca spoke, in mock-irritation.

"...Or a girl."

"Or a girl?"

"It's either a boy or a girl."

"Meaning you don't really know."

"Then tell me, genius, what _you_ think it is."

Lucca grinned, "I think it's a boy."

"What makes you think that?"

"A mother's guess. It takes precedence over the father's guess. And you really didn't guess anyway. You said 'either a boy or a girl'. That's the _obvious_, not a guess."

"Well, I'll take your guess as good. But if it's a girl, I'm going to laugh."

Five months later when the time finally came for the Lucca to give birth, laughing was the furthest thing from Janus' mind. His anxiety only began when Amisan, a girl who lived near Janus and Lucca, came running to the field early that afternoon, and breathlessly exclaimed to Janus,

"Master Janus! Come quickly! Mistress Lucca is in labor!"

It didn't take him a second to start running as fast he could out of the valley. Glenn had been working nearby, and he followed hard on Janus' heels.

_In the hut..._

Schala had sent two girls out, one to get Janus, and one to get Mistress Gellana, the midwife. Schala herself stayed in the hut with Lucca. Lucca was lying on her side in bed, panting through a contraction, with Schala behind her rubbing her back and shoulder. Lucca was holding tight to her blanket with one hand and had her other arm wrapped around her large belly.

"Where's Janus?" she whimpered.

"He's coming, sweet sister. Don't worry. Here, hold onto me." She took one of Lucca's hands. Gellanna reached the hut before Janus. Gellanna was a kindly old woman with a good heart. The first thing she did was have Lucca lie on her back for a moment while she examined Lucca's stomach.

"The child is turned properly," she said, "how long have you been in pains?"

"About...twenty minutes," Lucca answered.

"And how many times have you had a pain?"

"...Three."

"Hmm...That is a little faster than usual, but it will still be a while before the time comes. You will want your husband in here?"

Lucca nodded. Gellana smiled and said,

"Very well. I think your husband is a little more level-headed than most men in this sort of position. It will be all right for him to be in here..."

At that moment, Janus came into the hut and went into the back room. He walked slowly the moment he came in the hut, trying to keep his image of strength. He turned to Gellanna and asked,

"Is she all right?"

"Yes, everything is all right, so far."

"Janus," Schala said, "you'll need to wash your hands."

Schala suggestion prompted Gellanna to go even further by saying that Janus would need to change out of his work clothes and get cleaned up. There needed to be no filth near the newborn child. Glenn thought that his place was to remain outside the hut, and when Janus came out the door with his clothes (he would got to Glenn's hut to change), Glenn asked him,

"How fares thy dear wife?"

"Gellanna says that things are happening in a good fashion... I must be clean before I go back in."

"Janus, methinks thou art handling this rather well."

"Thank you, Glenn, but right now I am not afraid to tell you that I am in absolute terror."

"Might I telleth thee a secret, my friend?"

"Go on."

"So am I."

It was well into the night when at last Gellanna told Lucca that she needed to push. It was actually quite obvious though, and the only reason Gellanna had actually said it was to encourage Lucca. The poor girl was being pressed beyond her limit. She clung with desperation onto Janus' hand. Janus had by nature a very fair complexion, but at this time he was as pale in his face as Lucca was red in hers.

As Janus would later find out, it normally took three hours of pushing before the child would actually come, but Lucca had been trying for at least five hours and the baby had not arrived. Lucca was starting to become delirious with agony and it seemed that she hardly heard a word spoken to her. She screamed and wailed with every pain and it seemed like the veins in her neck and face were going to burst from the pressure.

Janus asked the midwife, his voice slightly shaky, "Is it often like this, Gellanna?"

"Come here, Master Janus," Gellanna gently wrapped a hand around his arm as if to lead him away. Janus did not easily break Lucca's grip on his hand, but after several assurances from him, Schala, Gellanna, and two other women who were assisting that he was coming right back, she let go. Gellanna took Janus to the front room and said,

"There is absolutely no reason why this baby should not be born. It is turned the right way, and Lucca has been bearing down for nearly six hours now. In my experience, these sorts of things happen if the baby is perhaps a little bigger than a normal baby or such. But don't worry, there is a way around this, but I'll need your help."

"What do you want me to do?" asked Janus.

"Babies like these just need a little extra push, and I'm going to give it that. But what I need you do to, Master Janus, is to hold Lucca down. This technique is agonizing for the mother, even more so than she is suffering right now. She will scream like she hasn't screamed before, and she will writhe and twist. She could literally throw herself off the cot if you don't hold her tight enough. And speak soothingly to her, as best you can. Is that clear?"

"Yes..."

"Good. Come..."

Janus went to Lucca and had her sit up so he could get behind her and hold her. He wrapped his arms around her right above her belly, and waited for Gellanna to make her move. Schala and one of the other women took hold of Lucca's arms. He whispered into Lucca's ear,

"It will be all right, Lucca. The baby will be here in a few moments. Just hold on..."

Gellanna put her hand on Lucca's stomach and waited for the next contraction to come. When it did, Gellanna pushed her hand down. Lucca shrieked so piercingly that the entire village probably heard it. And Gellanna was not joking when she told Janus to hold Lucca down. Janus had to hold on as tight as he could to keep her from flailing.

It was worth it. A few moments later, Gellanna was holding the baby in her hands, cleaning it with a warm wet cloth after tying and cutting the cord. The child was kicking and mewling, quite strongly.

"It's a boy," Gellanna said, smiling.

Janus softly laid Lucca down on the cot. Later, Lucca would look at her husband triumphantly and say, "I told you so," concerning the face that the baby was a boy. But she was too tired right now. Keeping her eyes open and speaking softly was the best she could do.

"May I see him...?" she weakly asked.

"May you see him!" Gellanna laughed as she wrapped the child in a clean blanket, "What a silly question. Of course, you may see him!"

She placed the baby in Lucca's arms. Lucca smiled and brushed the baby's cheek with her finger. Janus was kneeling by the cot, looking down at his son. The boy's little face was bruised and red. But considering the ordeal that the little infant had just gone through, his wounds were not surprising.

Schala was wiping away tears. She said, "I'll go tell everyone. No doubt there are some people outside waiting to inquire after the baby. Glenn's probably still waiting as well." And she left the room.

Lucca looked up at her husband and said, "Do you want to hold him?"

Janus blinked and then nodded. He gently scooped up the child in his arms, with Gellanna telling him to make sure that he was supporting the baby's head with his arm. The newborn was very light and soft, and his mewling had calmed quite a bit. Now he looked very sleepy. Janus was fairly tired himself, but it was all right. He was in a slight state of shock at knowing that this was his son, his own flesh and blood, that he was holding.

"What will we name him, Janus?" Lucca asked.

"You wish _me_ to name him?"

"Yes. He's your son."

"...I think that 'Belthasar' will do. What do you think?"

Lucca smiled, "That will do indeed."

Schala walked back into the room. She smiled when she saw that Janus was lovingly holding the baby, but she looked a little worried about something. Gellanna spoke to her,

"Well? What's going on?"

"Well, the villagers who gathered around for news are estatic, but...there's just one little thing."

"What is it?" asked Janus.

"...Glenn fainted."


	13. The Threat

(Kit Thespian walks on stage, holding a sheet of paper that contains the list of all of the Chrono Trigger characters. Unbeknownst to her, the three Gurus have followed her onstage as well.)

Kit Thespian (to herself): Now, let's see... Who has not given the Disclaimer yet?

Belthasar: Ahem...

Kit Thespian (misses him entirely): I could ask Spekkio...

Gasper: Er...Kit Thespian?

Kit Thespian (turns and waves): Hey, guys! (goes back to list) Don't think I should get Yakra. He might 'needle' everybody... Lavos is definitely out...

Melchior (stamps his foot): Kit Thespian!

Kit Thespian: Yes?

Melchior: You haven't let us give a Disclaimer yet! Eleven chapters you've been giving Disclaimers, and you've ignored us!

Kit Thespian (feigning shock): Ignored you? But I've given each of you prominent roles in the story. Gaspar, you're the one who helps Magus and Lucca get together. (to Melchior) You _marry_ them, (to Belthasar) and you...How could it be a story without you? Why, if it weren't for you in this story, Magus would not exist! You three are the backbone of this story!

Gaspar: ...Gee, I hadn't thought of it that way.

Melchior: Sorry, Kit Thespian.

Kit Thespian: No problem. Hey, guys, if you want to give the Disclaimer that bad, this chapter's free. Go ahead!

(The three Gurus stand in the front and all grin proudly)

Melchior: Kit Thespian does not own the video game Chrono Trigger...

Gaspar: Or the characters therein...

Belthasar: And she is not...

(Queen Zeal (the sane one) walks onto the stage)

Zeal (to Belthasar): Sugar pie!

Belthasar: Honey bunch!

(They run to each other and start kissing. Melchior and Gaspar look at each other.)

Gaspar: Sugar pie?

Melchior: Honey bunch?

Kit Thespian: Sounds like a song...

(Magus pops his head in and says to the couple)

Magus: Get a room, you two, you're embarrassing me.

Belthasar: Don't make me put you in a corner, young man!

Melchior: Guess it's up to us...

Gaspar (faces audience): And Kit Thespian is not making money from this. (to couple) Cut it out, you two!

Chapter Thirteen- The Threat

_Six years later..._

"Papa! Papa!" little Belthasar rushed to his father, who was returning home from work. His sister Kaleste, two years younger than he (and a miniature version of Lucca with Janus' eyes), followed closely behind.

Janus knelt down on the ground and spread his arms to receive his children, "Is your mother home?" he asked.

"She and Aunt Schala are talking with Mr. Glenn," Belthasar replied.

"Really?" Janus had wondered why Glenn left the field early. He picked up both children and they held onto his neck. He said, "Do you know why?"

"Mr. Glenn said he's waited long enough to ask you," Kaleste said.

Janus raised an eyebrow, "Ask me what, Kaleste?"

"I dunno..."

But Janus knew immediately what Glenn was going to ask. The only question hanging in his mind now was what had taken the knight so long. It was obvious from anyone who watched Glenn and Schala what had been going on between them. When it first started, Janus felt a little resentful and wished to object to their growing attachment to each other. But then he was reminded of how their match was probably more "suitable" than his and Lucca's.

In contrast to Janus, Glenn was a slow mover, and Janus was surprised that Schala hadn't given up on him by now. But it seemed that today was the day.

After sending the two children inside the tent, Janus and Glenn walked down the road. Janus crossed his arms, putting on his most intimidating look, stretching himself to his full height, while at the same time biting his tongue to keep from laughing. He liked torturing Glenn, and this seemed to be the best way to do it.

He said nothing, giving Glenn the first opportunity to speak. Needless to say, they strode in silence for about five minutes.

Glenn finally spoke, "Janus, there's something I wish to ask of thee."

"And I am most anxious to hear it."

"Thou knowest I am very fond of thy sister."

Janus resisted the urge to smirk. Even after several years Glenn could not give up his dialect.

"I know it," he answered.

"I wish to ask for...for..."

"For?"

"For...Thy sister's hand in marriage."

"Oh, really?" Janus wasn't done with torturing Glenn. He looked Glenn straight in the eye, "And give me one good reason for letting you marry her."

Glenn may have wavered underneath Janus' piercing eye, but only for a moment. He replied, "I love her."

"You love her...Well," Janus smiled and patted Glenn on the shoulder, "that's good enough for me."

Glenn's jaw dropped, "Why, thou..."

"My blessings to you both. In fact, I'll perform the ceremony, if you wish."

"I...doth not know what to say."

"Don't say anything, then."

A cry of alarm sounded from the other side of the village, then several people began to scream in panic. Forgetting their discussion, Janus and Glenn ran as fast as they could towards the source. Several women holding their children were running away, while the men, with their pitchforks and scythes, were rushing towards the commotion. Janus and Glenn found two scythes leaning against a shelter nearby and went to join the fray, whatever it was.

By now, Janus was considered, generally if not officially, the leader of the village, probably because he had the most brains and sense, and fighting ability. The only one who could be considered his equal with a weapon was Glenn. And they were the only men in the village who still had the use of magic. And their skills were needed at this moment.

A vile creature, twenty feet tall, had entered their midsts. It was a sickly, yellow color, walking on four legs, each leg two feet in diameter. There were several horns on its head and its largest claw was six inches long, and each talon dug into the ground as it stepped. It let out a roar that sent their ears ringing. But Janus and Glenn had heard worse in the battle with Lavos.

"I shall divert it while thou takest it from its right and left flank. Scratch its tendons," Glenn said to Janus, dashing towards the creature.

Janus was about to object, wanting to say that he did not wish his sister become a widow before she was even married, but the quickness of the situation required his immediate action. Glenn stopped in front of the creature and waved his scythe,

"Foul beast!" he shouted, "Come and face me!"

The dragon hissed at Glenn. The hot spittle that fell from its mouth caused little clouds of steam to emerge from the snow. Janus ran around it and sliced the backs of its legs. It groaned and tripped on the ground. But then it looked at Glenn and began to inhale sharply.

"Glenn!" one of the men shouted, "look out!"

The monster spewed a great stream of fire towards the knight, before anyone could react to it.

Glenn, without really thinking about it, held up his hand and a burst of water flowed forth and met with the fire, instantly extinguishing it. Glenn went further as to send the water spell into the dragon's throat. The hulk choked and spat, and Janus ran onto its back, reached its head, and embedded his scythe into its nape.

The creature died instantly. It fell to the ground and Janus held onto one of its horns so not to be tossed aside.

He jumped down and one of the men, named Arrandon, walked up to him and said, "I've never seen a beast like this before. Not even in the days before the Fall."

_**Ha, ha, ha...Very good...**_

Janus grimaced while everyone else, except Glenn, cringed. He knew that voice.

"I thought you said he was dead..." he spoke.

"Who? Who is it?" Glenn asked.

"Don't you remember?"

_**Yes, don't you remember, froggy boy?**_

Glenn looked up into the air and said, indignantly, "_'Froggy boy'_? Who art thou?"

A figure emerged, levitating over the ground. He was dressed in a red cloak with golden armor. He had honey-colored hair, and a patch over one eye. He was smiling, showing his comeliness, but at the same time revealed his cruelty.

One woman screamed and ran when she saw him and the others put up their guards. The figure was undaunted by them as he slowly lowered to the earth.

"You've no idea how long I have dreamed of this moment," he said, "Janus, son of Belthasar..."

"Dalton..." Glenn spoke, "how didst thou?"

"Save your breath," Dalton hissed at the knight, "I have no words for you. I wish to speak with your master."

"I am no one's master," Janus said.

"Oh, really? Why not? It is your right as the son of Queen Zeal, however...coarse your paternity was," Dalton sneered.

Janus did his best to ignore that statement, and he said, "These are all freemen, and we all work together to survive. Now, state your business, or be gone from here."

"My business..." Dalton put his fingertips together, "is my Master's business."

"Your...Master?" As far as Janus remembered, the only real loyalties that Dalton ever had were to himself alone, "Who is your Master?"

"Lavos spoke of him to you."

"What are you talking about?"

Dalton laughed, "You will know...soon enough. Until then, farewell, Janus..."

And with that, Dalton disappeared as quickly as he came, without even a sound or a puff of smoke.

_Later that night, at Janus and Lucca's house..._

"Think," Janus addressed his wife and friend, "what did Lavos say to us? We questioned his motives, and he gave us an answer."

"He spoke of Another," Lucca said, holding a sleeping Kaleste, "a...Being of Destruction. It had another name, but it was in a strange language. Lavos was sent by this Thing to destroy our world, in exchange for a breeding place for Lavos."

"It did command Lavos," Glenn spoke, "and now it commandeth Dalton. What sort of enemy is this?"

"The Enemy of the Entity; there is no other explanation," Janus settled onto a chair beside Belthasar's cot, where the boy lay sleeping. He brushed his son's hair gently with his fingers and said, "What evil does It have in store for our world now?"

"And why us?" Schala said, "Why attack us here and now?"

Janus answered, "If we knew that, our problems would be considerably fewer. We would know when exactly the attack would come, and how and where. But as it is, we can only watch and pray. Lucca, I don't want Belthasar and Kaleste to leave your sight for one moment when I am gone tommorrow, all right?"

Lucca nodded, holding her daughter closer to her.

"...I shall walk thee to thy house," Glenn said to Schala, as she headed for the exit.

"Thank you, Glenn," she turned to her brother and sister-in-law, "Goodnight, Janus. Goodnight, Lucca."

When they were outside of the hut, Schala whispered to Glenn, "Well, what did he say? Did you get a chance to ask him before everything happened?"

"Yes..."

"And?"

Glenn took Schala's hands in his and said, "He did consent."

"He did? Oh!" Schala wrapped her arms around Glenn's neck and hugged him fiercely, "He did! He did!"

"Schala, hush, the neighbors..." Glenn was looking around.

"Oh, forget the neighbors! What's wrong with them knowing that I love you, and that I will be your wife?" And then she kissed him.

Glenn replied, grinning and a little flustered, "Nothing at all, really, nothing at all..."


	14. The Appearance

**Disclaimer: **Kit Thespian does not own the video game Chrono Trigger or the characters therein, and she is not making money off of this.

_Author's note: There's only one or two more chapters after this one. It's about time I wrapped this up._

Chapter Fourteen- The Appearance

"Belthasar! Kaleste! Stay close to us!"

The harsh tone in their mother's voice stopped the two children dead in their tracks and they sheepishly walked back to their mother and aunt, who were outside attending to their gardens not far from the huts. The children didn't understand this whole "keep watch" and "stay close" business. Their parents had always let them wander around, as long as they stayed within eyeshot of them.

Belthasar kicked a bunch of grass emerging from underneath the snow and grumbled, "This is so boring."

"Not like yesterday. Remember the sounds?" Kaleste asked, her eyes wide.

"But we didn't get to see anything, and Mama won't let us go."

"I don't wanna see it," Kaleste hugged her brother's arm, "It sounded scary."

"Ha! I'm not afraid of a monster..." Belthasar picked up a branch, "If any monsters come, I'll protect you."

Kaleste pursed her lips in thought, and then said, "I'd rather have Papa and Mr. Glenn."

"You don't think I can?" Belthasar put his hands on his hips, and furrowed his brow, trying to look as intimidating as Papa.

Kaleste giggled, "You're cute when you do that."

"Cute!" Belthasar's jaw dropped, "Why, I oughta...!" And he started chasing his little sister around.

"Mama! Mama! Mamaaaaa!" Kaleste ran towards Lucca as fast as she could.

"Belthasar," Lucca sternly spoke, "Don't hurt your sister!"

"I wasn't gonna hurt her..." Belthasar dropped the stick, "I was just gonna teach her a lesson..."

"You leave that to _me_, understood?" Lucca said.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, stay close."

There was that "stay close" again. Belthasar sighed and went to his mother's side. Kaleste had taken hold of Schala's hand. Schala handed her a basket and said to help her pick out the weeds in the garden. Though the weather still remained cold most of the year, warm seasons had come back to the world. At least, they were warm enough to keep a small herb and vegetable garden some of the time. Lucca was amazed that some of the plants that would never have survived in cold weather in 1000 AD managed to grow in the Dark Ages.

Belthasar squatted down, making little patterns in the wet snow and picking at a few grass blades. It seemed like forever until Papa came home. Perhaps today Papa would wrestle with him, or Mr. Glenn. It wasn't usually so boring. Mama and Aunt Schala would play with them when Papa was working. But today they weren't in the mood to play. Belthasar almost couldn't wait until he was old enough to go to the fields with Papa and Mr. Glenn. Only two more years...

A cold chill rippled through Belthasar's chest. He fell on his rump in startlement as the sensation went from his torso through his arms and legs and out his fingers and toes. He felt as if his entire body had turned to ice.

"Mama!" he cried.

_In the valley..._

Janus dropped his scythe and shuddered. When he was living in the Mystic Castle, he would have been prepared for such a feeling. But he had not experienced it for years, and it caught him horribly off guard.

"Janus..." Arrandon, who was working about thirty feet away, called to him, "are you all right?"

"The Black Wind..." Janus muttered, and thought, _"But how...? Lavos is dead...Dalton...there's no other explanation."_

"I say, Master Janus, are you all right?" Arrandon repeated.

"I must get back to the village!" Janus blurted, grabbing his scythe and taking off towards the path that led up the valley. Arrandon followed him, still holding his sickle.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"There may be trouble!"

"I'll come with you!"

"Where's Glenn?"

"He's in the east field!"

"Go fetch him and tell him to come as fast as he can!"

Arrandon halted and ran towards the east field, a little irritated at being sent back. True, he couldn't use magic like Master Janus could, but he was handy in a fight. But, the wisest thing to do at this moment was obey the son of Zeal. He rushed towards the east field.

_In the village..._

"What is it, darling?" Lucca dropped her spade and hastily went to Belthsar's side.

"It's cold...It's cold..."

"Mama!" Kaleste exclaimed, clenching Schala's skirt in her hands, "I'm cold too!"

Schala said nothing but all the blood was drained from her face. She looked around frantically, and then put her hands together and began to summon a spell. Lucca didn't ask what was going on but took Belthasar in her arms and carried him to Schala. Schala held her hands out and green and yellow beams of light formed and surrounded the four. Just then, a great wind arose from the north side of the village. A dark portal emerged, not like the time portals, but like the gates that Dalton would create when calling in a monster.

But instead of a Golem, there came a monster far more terrible than the dragon that had tried to destroy the village yesterday. Its color was a dark green, and its eyes glowed white.

Janus ran through the avenue towards his family's home just in time to see the horrible creature lurching towards Lucca and the others. The thing raised its gigantic arm and hurled it down. Janus felt as if his heart had turned to ice until he noticed that instead of crushing his family, the arm met with a green and yellow field around them. It repeatedly tried to strike them, but could not get through.

Belthasar and Kaleste were screaming in terror and Schala and Lucca were trying to calm them, while preparing their magic should the Magic Barrier and Physical Shield fail. Janus lost no time. He quickly gathered up a blast of shadow magic and sent it flying towards the creature's eyes.

The creature stumbled back, letting out a wail that echoed throughout the land. Lucca told Belthasar and Kaleste to stay close to their Aunt Schala, and then stepped out of the barrier.

"Lucca, what are you doing?" Schala cried.

"Lucca!" Janus ran towards her.

Lucca stood dangerously near to the monster, holding her arms up in the air and calling forth her strongest spell, Flare. Surges of flames shot forth from her hands and engulfed the monster's head. But she didn't let it end. Being a mother protecting her babies had changed her previous mindset somewhat, and now all she wanted to do was see this thing dead and destroyed. Within seconds the thing was ashes.

Janus stood numb with shock. He had known that Lucca was capable of incredible feats of fire magic, but this was a little surprising. Lucca, exhausted from the exertion, collapsed to the ground, panting and barely able to move.

Glenn, who had arrived only a moment later, didn't ask any questions, but busied himself with putting the fire out. Arrandon stood aside helplessly as Janus rushed to his wife's side.

"Lucca..." Janus murmured while he scooped up.

"Are they all right...?" Lucca whimpered.

"Yes, the..."

_**Seems like you get out of it every time, doesn't it?**_

Janus sneered. Him, again.

"Preying upon women and children, Dalton?" he shouted.

Dalton appeared a few feet away from him, looking cocky as ever.

"My Master is through with all of the tests. He is getting quite irritated with you. The time for games is over."

The sky grew dark, as if something passed over the sun. Janus looked up and there was nothing, not even a cloud. The Darkness was emanating from something.

"Papa!" Belthasar and Kaleste, terrified, rushed to their father's side and clung to him. Glenn went to Schala and wrapped his arms around her protectively. The Darkness was getting thicker.

Janus turned to find Dalton laughing. Then he disappeared. The screams of the terrified villagers filled the town. Janus could feel the presence of something more evil than anything he had ever come in contact with emerge. Just breathing the same air that the Thing was dwelling in made him a little light-headed. But he stood over his wife and children, ready to face whatever was coming.

_At the End of Time..._

Gaspar and Spekkio were clinging to each other, watching helplessly from their haven.

"I can't believe it..." Spekkio shuddered, "I can't believe that _He_ had the audacity to come back to the World!"

"No magic can stand against that Thing..." Gaspar swallowed, "Only one Person could save them now..." He muttered a prayer, _"Please come..."_


	15. The Entity

(Kit Thespian walks onstage)

Kit Thespian: Well, here we are, folks, the last chapter. It's been fun!

(enter Magus and Glenn)

Glenn: Thou leavest us?

Kit Thespian: Er...yes?

Magus: You can't go!

Kit Thespian: What?

(enter Crono, Marle, Lucca, and Ayla)

Lucca: You can't leave us, Kit Thespian!

Marle: That's cruelty!

Kit Thespian: ...Gosh, I thought that with all the things I put you through you couldn't wait to see the back of me.

Crono (getting on his knees): We didn't mean it, honest!

Ayla (clinging to Kit Thespian's legs): Kit no go!

Kit Thespian: Eep! (sighs) Looks like I'm going to have to call the back up. (looks towards the FFVII category) Sephiroth! Cloud!

(Sephiroth and Cloud from FFVII enter the scene)

Sephiroth: Yes, oh mighty one?

Kit Thespian (motions towards all the CT characters): Do something!

(Cloud promptly pulls out his Ultima Weapon and chases all the characters out of the stage, except for Glenn and Magus. Sephiroth goes to them)

Sephiroth (to Magus): All right, widow's peak, it's you and me.

Magus: Ladies first, girly bangs.

(They initiate a staring contest. Glenn seems fascinated by it. Kit Thespian breathes a sigh of relief and puts up the chapter)

**Disclaimer: **Kit Thespian does not own Chrono Trigger or the characters therein, and she is not making money from this.

_Author's note: Yes, the things that appear to be unnecessarily capitalized are actually intentionally done that way._

Chapter Fifteen- The Entity

Belthasar and Kaleste's fingers dug into Janus' flesh and clothes as they held onto him with desperate fear. Lucca had her arms around the children, trying to hold back her tears. Glenn was on the ground, trying to protect Schala, but not having the slightest clue how. Janus was the one man there left standing, and his legs were starting to grow a little shaky. The growing darkness around them was starting to concentrate on one specific location, and taking a form like a man's.

Janus realized that the darkness had not come _with_ this creature, but that this thing _was_ the darkness itself. In that moment he began to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. He and the others had guessed that the Enemy of the Entity was the one behind all of this, but every piece of theology that the three Gurus had taught him and Schala stated that the Being of Destruction was forbidden to come to the World. No writing ever stated what would happen if It did.

Well, that was the situation presented to them now. Was the world about to be destroyed by this Being, and all of their efforts to save it in vain? Janus did not have long to ponder on this, because the Thing took on its full form. It did look like a man, but the different shades of black against the white snow were the only things outlining the contours of Its body. It was twenty feet tall and dressed in armor. The only things about It that weren't black were Its eyes, and they glowed white with black snake-slits in them.

For all of Its size, It seemed to have no weight, for It took a step towards them and they could hear only a slight sound of shuffling against the snow. It left black trails behind It. But everyone cringed as It came forward. Even Janus was beginning to lose a little of his resolve.

**"I grow tired of your constant meddlings..."** It said to the magic users, **"Your people gave themselves totally over to the worship of Lavos, and then to the worship of power, and then to science and technology. The blood of your entire race should have been mine. Mine!"**

Janus swallowed the lump in his throat and shouted up, "With the Entity's will against yours, you stand little chance of winning!"

**"Well..."** the Being waved Its arms (causing a great wind) and chuckled a little, **"He is not here. If He really did care about you, he would show Himself, would He not?"**

"He'll come..." Janus said.

The Monster grew in size only more, reached down, and wrapped Its icy fingers around Janus and picked him up. Lucca and the children screamed. Glenn jumped up and ran towards the Creature, but It turned on him and spit at him. The saliva splattered against Glenn's tunic like black tar and he fell to the ground writhing in pain. The liquid started to seep through his clothes into his skin, causing him to convulse. Schala screeched with terror and went to Glenn's side, trying to call up healing magic, but it wasn't working.

Janus felt as if he were caught inside of a vice that was growing tighter by the second. The Being brought him up to face level and glared at him with Its snake eyes. Janus felt the Thing's hand turn as hot as red pincers around him, then as cold as dry ice. Janus would let out a shriek of agony if he could have gathered enough breath to do it with.

"Have you no mercy in you?" Lucca sobbed.

**"Mercy?"** It seemed to find the idea amusing, **"What is mercy, I wonder?"**

Janus thought that all life was being squeezed out of him when he and everyone else heard a voice. It said a word that for the rest of his life, Janus could never figure out how to pronounce. They had heard the word before, spoken by Lavos when he named the Being. At the sound of it, the Dark One gasped and dropped Janus. Janus fell to the ground harshly, but he was still alive and conscious.

The Thing began to shrink as the darkness began to dissipate and the light grew brighter. But it wasn't coming from the sun. There was another human-like form coming, emerging from the sky and the light swirling around It. It was exact opposite of the dark one, but greater and more powerful. Nobody could see the outlines of His eyes because of their radiance. Janus knew at once that this was the Master of all good, the Entity. He had come at the hour He was needed.

The Being of Destruction shrieked with dismay and tried to flee, but the Entity grabbed It by the ankle (a small task for Him, by the way), dragging It to Him. Then the Entity took the Thing by the throat and spoke, his voice level and calm.

**_"I warned you,"_ **he said, **_"never to enter the World I created for them. I wish to know, did you really think that I would let this go unnoticed?"_**

The Thing that had only moments before terrorized the human population of this age was now cringing and whimpering incoherently like a dog facing an enraged master.

_**"Our agreement is through. You have broken your part, and now longer have any right to their blood. Take all of your pawns and go to the Depths prepared for you."**_

**"Not that!" **The Being screeched more in horror than protestation.

**_"Go!"_**

There was an incredible flash of light, and Janus found himself lying on the ground, with the sky as normal as it should be, without any damage to any of his surroundings. All of his pain was gone and he could breathe easily. Glenn was in the snow nearby, without any sort of wound or pain. They looked at each other questioningly, and nobody said or did anything for several minutes. It was like the entire thing had been a dream, except that the black markings that the Being made in the snow and grass were still there, as a reminder of what had occurred.

The first thing that Janus did was go to his wife and children, who were sitting still in a shock. Schala sobbed with relief and clung to Glenn. Slowly, all of the villagers started to clap and cheer, and raise up praises to the Entity. This would surely go down in history, as the day that the Dark One was driven to Its proper place. Much later, Janus, Glenn, and Lucca would laugh to themselves at wondering how Crono, Marle, and Robo would react to the story.

Although it took them a long while to fully recover from those events, life went on in the Last Village. A couple of months after this, Schala and Glenn were married.

At the End of Time, Gaspar and Spekkio were pleased, and a little amused, to find what the reason was why the Dark One had come to finish off the human race at that time. From Janus and Lucca's descendants came a line of secret magic-using Knights in Guardia, who served to do more complicated things than the Knights of the Square Table could handle. Schala and Glenn were the ancestors of the mysterious order of white mages (masters of healing magic) who also served under the Throne of Guardia.

Because of this, when the attack from Porre came upon Guardia in 1005 A.D., Guardia was better prepared and won the war. And because they won the war, the future of the world remained changed for the better.

"Well, Spekkio," Gaspar said, "I'm glad we're not running this show. We would probably mess it up."

"I agree," answered Spekkio, "but I do miss those youths. It gets lonely here."

"Hey, do you want to spar?"

"Spar? You? Aren't you reaching eighty about now?"

"I bet I could get you good."

"Gaspar, you can barely walk without a... _Ow!_"

Quick as lightning, Gaspar had whacked Spekkio on the head with his cane. He chuckled while Spekkio rubbed his forehead.

"I've still got it," the Guru of Time said, grinning.

"Why, I oughta..."

And the rest is, er, history.

**The End**

(Kit Thespian, still on the stage, breathes a sigh)

Kit Thespian: There! I hope I didn't disappoint...(turns and notices Sephiroth and Magus still staring.) Are you two still going at it?

Glenn: Neither one of them hast blinked.

Kit Thespian: Oh, brother...

(Cloud runs in)

Cloud: Seph, we've gotta get out of here; all those CT characters are gaining up on us!

Sephiroth (blinks): Huh?

Magus: I win!

Sephiroth: What? No fair!

Cloud: Sephiroth, we've got to get out of here _now_! Fangirls heard you were here and they're coming this way too!

Sephiroth: O.O

(Cloud and Sephiroth flee the scene. The cast of Chrono Trigger enters, as well as a herd of fangirls)

Gaspar: Well, I guess we showed that upstart what's what.

Marle: His hair was weird. (looks at Crono) Then again, who am I to complain?

Fangirl #1: Where's Sephy?

Fangirl #2: Waaaaah! No Sephy!

Fangirl #3: Wait, Magus is here.

All fangirls: MAAAAGGGGUUUUSSSS!

(Magus runs screaming ahead of the crowd of fangirls and they disappear into the distance.)

Lucca: Hey...Where's Kit Thespian?

(All of the characters are just beginning to notice that in the midst of all of the calamity, Kit Thespian snuck out of the category)

Glenn: Oh, confound it! She hath escaped!

Marle: What're we going to do?

Melchior: Let's go pick on zipis1. She hasn't updated in months.

Belthasar: Yeah, and Gibson18.

Crono: Let's go!

_Author's note: Well, that's the end of it. Hope you've enjoyed it. And I mean it, zipis1, UPDATE! And Gibson18, please continue your wonderful story. Can't wait to read more._


End file.
